Krystal Kavita Jagoo, MSW, RSW @ Intersectional Equity Insights

Verywell Mind • 23 November 2023

What to Do When You Can't Get Therapy

For many folx, therapy may be what first comes to mind if you're thinking about the mental health space or are currently struggling with your own mental well-being.

While therapy has several benefits, there are also reasons why therapy may be unavailable. For instance, if you're in a crisis, you might need immediate support. It's also possible that you're not currently able to afford therapy or that it's just inaccessible to you in general.

In such cases, it can be helpful to consider a variet

Prism • 13 September 2023

BIPOC LGBTQIA+ communities deserve care for eating disorders

Thanks to Project HEAL, an organization that addresses systemic health care and financial barriers to eating disorder treatment, Da’Shaun Harrison was finally diagnosed with an eating disorder last year. But they have long struggled with disordered eating. As a Black trans person, Harrison lives with the impacts of oppression.

“Growing up as someone who was socialized as a Black boy, who was always fat, doctors never even considered [an eating disorder],” said Harrison, a theorist and author of

Medicinal Media • 15 August 2023

Staging medicine as a neurologist and playwright — Medicinal Media

Ariel Landrum, MA, LMFT, a certified art therapist and the clinical director of Guidance Teletherapy, says, “Doctors are healthcare professionals that we rely on to keep us well. Performance art that humanizes doctors allows us to connect with them as individuals. When a doctor writes the narrative themselves, we can get a more accurate look at their struggles in their personal and professional lives. When we experience the narrative from a woman of color, we are immersed in the richness of the

Issuu • 11 July 2023

TEACH Magazine - July/August 2023

The next generation is often thought of as the trailblazers of the future, but what does that mean when the future of our planet looks uncertain in terms of the vast impacts of climate change?

Verywell Mind • 28 June 2023

How to Improve Accessibility For Virtual Events

Most folx have probably attended more virtual events since social distancing measures were recommended to limit exposure to COVID-19. While some may have always connected virtually, online meetings may be less familiar for others, which is where accessible virtual events can aid the process.

Whether you are logging in remotely for work or a social gathering, there are ways in which event organizers can think critically about how to improve accessibility. Especially given the reality of Zoom fat

Asparagus Magazine • 18 June 2023

Bodily Autonomy Is About More Than Abortion Access - Asparagus

For many, the phrase “bodily autonomy” brings abortion access to mind, especially since the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade—the 1973 supreme court decision that legalized abortion throughout the US. This latest court decision means that American states can regulate abortion within their borders.

But the concept of bodily autonomy also applies to trans rights, disability justice, mental health, and even what a person can wear on their body. That’s a wide range of topics, so let’s unpack how thes

Asparagus Magazine • 11 May 2023

Ukrainian Youth "Will Not be the Same" - Asparagus

On February 24, 2022, a social worker who works with youth and resides in Bila Tserkva, Ukraine, was drinking a cup of tea and making his way to catch a train to Kyiv. Suddenly, his city was hit with a Russian missile targeting a nearby airfield.

Since then, he has not left his home because of the threat of military violence, but continues to support youth via messaging service Telegram and the video-conference platform Zoom. He worries about how traumatizing this Russian invasion will be for t

Medtruth • 11 May 2023

5 Top Podcast Recommendations for Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Due to the hard work of author and activist Bebe Moore Campbell, the U.S. House of Representatives first recognized July as National Minority Mental Health Month in 2008. With the lived experience of supporting her daughter’s navigation of mental health services, Campbell witnessed the systemic gaps in mental health access and drew attention to the unique mental health needs of Black folks in the United States, and by extension Black, Indigenous and people of color, too. Especially during a glob

Education for Today and Tomorrow | L'Education Aujourd'hui et Demain • 15 November 2022

Making Space for Justice: The Realities of “Universal” Human Rights

Originally published in TEACH Magazine, 40 Years of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Special Issue, 2022

Many students in our country may have realized from a young age that they are treated differently than their peers or other fellow Canadians. They know it’s not right, but don’t have the vocabulary or forum to express this. Then they come to school and learn about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a document stating that every person in Canada “is equal before and under the law”

Prism • 1 November 2022

Unions need to better integrate temporary workers into advocacy

While Sheila Crabbe supports workers’ efforts to unionize, she, like many who primarily work in “temporary” roles, found that unions don’t always provide the same benefits and protection that permanent workers in unions often have. As a Black woman working within the Minneapolis school system, the precariousness of this position was made clear when she was let go from her job amid a mental health crisis after five years of employment.

“There are great educators of color that continue to be feel

GHLF.org • 18 August 2022

How Trauma and Discrimination Among LGBTQ+ Adults May Impact Migraine

LGBTQ+ adults often face higher levels of trauma, which can have a negative impact on their health. Despite that unfortunate reality, this was the first study to assess the experiences of sexual and/or gender minority (SGM) folx with respect to migraine, as it relates to a history of trauma and discrimination.

Researchers initially highlighted gaps in the current knowledge around neurological health among LGBTQ+ adults, in a study published in JAMA Neurology last year, which prompted this subse

Verywell Mind • 16 August 2022

Surprisingly, Smartphone Use May Help Improve Memory

The odds are good that you and your loved ones each have your own smartphone. In fact, the Pew Research Center estimates that 97% of Americans own a cellphone, while 85% have a smartphone.

Given the prevalence of smartphones, we often hear warnings about reliance on them. Thankfully, a recently published study in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General found that using digital devices may support individuals to remember additional information.

Researchers analyzed the results of memory tes

Verywell Mind • 10 August 2022

Eating Fruit More Often Can Lead to Better Mental Health

Eating healthy food is often encouraged to promote mental health and well-being. Now, a study published in British Journal of Nutrition found that frequent consumption of fruit is associated with lower depression scores.

This study was conducted with 428 healthy adults across the United Kingdom, and survey responses demonstrate that regular consumption of fruit was linked to lower depression and better mental health outcomes.

Given how healthy eating can support mental health, these findings m

Verywell Mind • 9 August 2022

People Are Cooperating More Than They Have in Decades

Cooperation is often encouraged in relationships and is a well-known sign of a strong community. Now, a new study published in Psychological Bulletin has found that cooperation levels among strangers has been increasing in the US since the 1950s.

Researchers reviewed 511 American studies that took place between 1956 and 2017, including those that assessed for cooperation among strangers.


There are so many 21st-century challenges—from climate change to global inequality—that require a collect

Verywell Mind • 8 August 2022

Looking at Art Online Has a Similar Effect on Mental Health as Looking at Physical Art

Art has long been known to affect our psyche. Now, a new study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that even brief viewing of art online can improve moods through cognitive-emotional experiences.

When study participants were asked to explore online exhibitions of either a Monet painting or a display of Japanese culinary traditions, they reported improved mental health and reduced negative moods with just a couple minutes of engagement.

Researchers note that their results bode well for m

Verywell Mind • 1 August 2022

A Father's Adult Attachment Style Could Affect Children's Anxiety Levels

Understanding the attachment style of children may help to address mental health issues, and understanding where these attachment styles come from is a key piece of that puzzle. In fact, a study published in the International Journal of Psychology earlier this year found that the adult attachment of fathers can influence the anxiety levels of their children into adolescence.

Based on questionnaire responses from 906 pairs of fathers and their adolescents from Chinese families, this study indica

Verywell Mind • 18 July 2022

Chronic Loneliness and Mental Health Distress Have a Cyclical Relationship

For many, the pandemic intensified loneliness concerns. A new research study conducted in the United Kingdom (UK) has found a direct link between the impacts of loneliness and greater mental health distress.

Researchers conducted interviews with 59 adults with mental health concerns in the UK, and found that mental health distress can impact chronic loneliness, which refers to feeling lonely often or always.

These findings can better inform government programs to address loneliness and improve

EverydayHealth.com • 13 July 2022

HIV PrEP Treatment Failing to Reach Minorities

Before Ciarra Covin was diagnosed with HIV in 2008, medications called PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) that prevent HIV infection didn’t exist.

As a college student in rural Georgia, Covin found out she had HIV after going to the school’s health clinic for birth control. Upon learning her positive status, her first thought was, “Will I be able to have children one day?”

Her doctor, who was white, offered little comfort. “I asked him if I could have kids, and his response, to this little Black

Verywell Mind • 15 June 2022

Heavy Consumption of Reality TV May Reinforce Gender Roles for Adolescents

Often, media literacy can help people to grasp how TV viewing patterns may reinforce certain narratives. A new study published in The Journal of Sex Research found that heavy consumption of reality TV was linked to greater endorsement of gendered sexual scripts among youth.

These research findings were based on two studies of adolescents, both of which found that high levels of reality TV viewing can bolster heteronormative behaviors, as mediated by gender expectations.

Sexual scripts based on

Verywell Mind • 10 June 2022

New Research Reveals a Key to Reducing Feelings of Regret

Everyone has feelings of regret, but changing how these feelings are approached may help people move forward. A new study published in Psychological Science found that participants had more regret with idealized forgone alternatives.

A forgone alternative refers to the second choice that people eventually reject when making a decision. People tend to overestimate its appeal when compared to the reality of the choice they selected.

Such insights on how humans process regret hold promise for eng

Verywell Mind • 7 June 2022

Sexual Minority Women Face Greater Barriers to Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment

A recent study published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research found that sexual minority women—lesbian and bisexual— (SMW) face significant barriers when it comes to addressing problematic alcohol use.

Researchers found that 43% of sexual minority women reported heavy episodes of drinking in the past year, while 10% met the criteria for alcohol dependence, and 22% reported that they recently wanted to reduce their drinking.

Given how challenging it can be to seek help for alcohol us

Verywell Mind • 26 May 2022

Stigma Around Formula Use and Breastfeeding Causes Stress During Formula Shortage

Note: We use the term "breastfeeding" throughout this article, but it should be noted that the terms "chestfeeding" and "human milk feeding" are also applicable, and often preferred by trans and non-binary parents.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to work to address the infant formula shortage that has impacted the country since February, but that may provide little relief for parents with babies to feed.

Amidst the conversations regarding the shortage, many uneduca

Verywell Mind • 16 May 2022

Study Finds Significant Differences in Dementia Based on Race and Ethnicity

Dementia and its associated diseases impact millions of older adults and their communities across the United States, but it's unclear why some people are more impacted than others. A new study found that Black and Hispanic seniors may be at greater risk of dementia than older individuals of American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, or white backgrounds.

This research was based on information analysis from a national cohort of older veterans who received care at the Veterans Health Administration

Verywell Mind • 25 April 2022

People With ADHD More Prone to Hoarding

It can be challenging to manage ADHD due to difficulties with concentration. Now, a study published in Journal of Psychiatric Research found inattention may be a predictor of challenges related to hoarding.

This study was based on self-reports of ADHD, hoarding disorder and OCD-related symptoms from ADHD Clinic participants, as compared to a control group of similar age, gender, and education levels, and clinically significant hoarding symptoms were found in 20% of ADHD patients.

Since hoardin