Psychosocial Health Among Individuals With Serious Mental Illness

Working with Dr. Bruce Link (UC-Riverside, Columbia University) and Dr. Leopoldo Cabassa (Washington University, St. Louis), I have conducted interlocking scholarship examining, at one level, the physical health of individuals with serious mental illness, and at another level, some of the unique social processes–namely public stigma–contributing to these negative health outcomes. Research has consistently shown that individuals with serious mental illness, particularly those whom are coming from historically disadvantaged racial/ethnic minority populations, have higher rates of chronic disease (hypertension, diabetes etc…) and also may experience a “double burden” when it comes to stigma–that is, stigma that is directed at their mental health status and stigma that is directed at their race/ethnicity.