Young people of color experiencing poverty have noted how racism and discrimination are root causes and key traumas that adversely impact their mental health.
By NADA HASSANEIN, Stateline EXCERPT: “They need to be offered [mental health care] in a way that a birthing person doesn’t have to scramble to find those services,” said Isha Weerasinghe, a senior mental health policy analyst at the Center for Law and Social Policy,…
CLASP senior policy analyst Isha Weerasinghe wrote an op-ed about how casual use of terms can be stigmatizing and dehumanizing for people with mental health conditions.
By Isha Weerasinghe The stories of immigrants take on many forms, often carrying resilience and hope. My story, and my parents’ second immigration journey, began in the early 80s with a move from the United Kingdom to the United States. My parents moved to the…
Young people from underserved communities—namely people with Black, brown, disabled, and/or LGBTQ+ identities—prefer community-based programs and peer networks over formal mental health services delivered in clinical settings.
Isha Weerasinghe was quoted: “At the time that ARPA came out, we were really trying to figure out, as a country, how the mental health, behavioral health systems could be bolstered, because, in my opinion, the systems are really broken."
In this op-ed, CLASP's Isha Weerasinghe explains why the Senate must pass the Build Back Better Act with the critical Momnibus maternal mental health equity investments that passed in the House of Representatives.
The horrific violence in Atlanta this week on Asian American women is unconscionable, could have been prevented, and reveals gaping holes in how we protect each other as a society.
As the 117th Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration begin their terms, they must identify why the current mental and behavioral health infrastructure does and will not work to meet the needs of millions, and push innovative and bold ideas that put people’s well-being first.