Jul 19, 2023
Mental health is not a privilege but a right! Healthy mental health includes healthy emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects an individual’s ability to think, feel, act, handle stress, make decisions, etc. Mental health is as important as physical health and must be accessible to all, regardless of race, color, or ethnicity.
The US population, by 2044, is likely to get more diverse as the diverse population is projected to reach more than half of all Americans, i.e., the Hispanic white population. Yet, people of other racial or ethnic minorities are less likely to receive adequate mental health therapy. To tackle this disparity effectively, BIPOC, or Black Indigenous and People of Color, mental health awareness month is celebrated every year in July to promote the unique nature of the mental illness that minorities face in their day-to-day life and raise awareness regarding the same.
What Is BIPOC Mental Health Month?
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, also popularly known as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, was declared to honor Bebe Moore Campbell(1950-2006), one of America's best-selling authors, journalists, teachers, and mental health advocates. Bebe's constant effort towards the mental health of minorities(Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC)) stems from her experiences of her family struggling with mental illness.
Every July, BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month is celebrated to promote mental health concerns and awareness in all communities, races, and cultures. Although the depression rate in BIPOC is less than its white counterpart, depression is more likely to persist in BIPOC minorities. This is because even though BIPOC minorities are less susceptible to depression when seeking care, they often receive poorer quality care, discrimination, and a lack of access to culturally competent care.
According to a study, people from different racial and ethnic groups are less likely to receive adequate mental therapy health care. This could be because of a plethora of reasons, from lack of resources, poverty to the stigma around mental health in general. Finding a mental health professional belonging to their racial or ethnic group also comes as a challenge, as per the study.
Racial discrimination is still quite prevalent in the US and is one of the leading causes of mental health illness. People from different ethnicities face racial discrimination and violence regularly, which can cause stress and racial trauma. Poverty(or low income) further complicates accessing adequate mental therapy health care. African American and many other minority communities will likely experience socioeconomic status, health, and educational resources disparities. All these factors limit the options for a person from a minority to seek professional help for mental health services.
Prevalence of Mental Health In Minorities
More than 37% of the U.S. population are people from minority communities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Out of this percentage, 16% have been reported as having mental illness in the past years. Adult minority communities, especially, Black African American, are more likely to develop episodes of sadness and worthlessness than the average white population. Suicide attempts are also more common in BIPOC teenagers than white teenage population.
The BIPOC population is, however, less susceptible to mental illness as compared to their white counterpart. Still, the rate of serious mental illness, suicide ideation, and major depressive episodes has surged over the past few years. Since mental health is still stigmatized in minority communities, people in this group are less likely to seek care or treatment, especially Black men. The typical racial and gender identity intersection here fuels the stereotypical toxic masculinity and negative attitude towards mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, and other mental illness.
Due to the history of discrimination, violence, and dehumanization towards the BIPOC community, many people reject the American system and have zero trust in the American healthcare system. Racial discrimination, police brutality, hate crime, and other such events have left minorities to cope with more racial trauma than their white peers. As BIPOC communities are less likely to be insured due to poverty(or lack of income), access to healthcare is also very limited, and BIPOC communities receive far less treatment for their mental health conditions.
How Can You Overcome Mental Health Challenges?
If you’re someone with a mental health condition, you should know you’re not alone in this struggle. Minority communities are 20% more likely to develop mental health conditions than the rest of the population. If you’re one of them, there are multiple steps that you can take that will help your condition:
- Learn about mental health and educate yourself regarding mental health conditions.
- Learn and explore healthy ways to cope with stress, anxiety, and other mental illnesses.
- Share information with your friends and family, who are more likely to struggle with what you might be experiencing.
- Learn about implicit biases and microaggression against yourself and your peers. Try to identify such practices and make a conscious effort to avoid such biases, microaggression, and any other form of discrimination.
- Look for an online community or social group with people of your race struggling like you.
- Seek professional help that can help you and look beyond your race, gender, or ethnic group.
Working Together for Mental Health Equity
Mental health illness doesn’t discriminate among gender, race, ethnicity, or color, and nor shouldn’t we. Anyone, at any given time, can suffer from mental health conditions. Although mental health issues can develop in anyone, according to a study by the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans, or any other racial group other than white Hispanics, are 10% more likely to develop serious psychological stress due to unmet needs and other barrier regarding seeking professional help.
In order to elevate minorities, mental health awareness becomes a necessity. We should all come together and help our fellow to overcome mental health challenges.
Conclusion
Minority communities face a day-to-day struggle to survive in a land of dreams. They face all sorts of discrimination, both intentional and unintentional. This can hamper their mental health condition and can push them towards depression, anxiety, stress, and other mental illness. And further stigma around mental health in their community can further trigger the process.
Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is celebrated for this particular reason precisely. So that everyone can come together and tackle this issue as an individual and not as any community. We all can contribute an active and helpful role, not just in the month of July but throughout the year, to help everyone have access to mental health professionals and lead a happy and healthy life.
