July is Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, also called BIPOC Mental Health Month.
It’s time to direct some energy into reducing the stigmas that keep people in minority groups from accessing mental health care. Advocacy really begins with increasing shared resources — regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status — to better ensure the health of each individual. We have a few ideas to help you take action this July.
Know what’s going on
As with so many other things in our country, mental health care isn’t equal across all Americans. Instead, Black, Hispanic, Latino, Indigenous, and other people of color often experience added obstacles in seeking treatment. This problem compounds given that the adverse impact of racial discrimination increases the likelihood that there is a need for mental health support.
What the data says on minority mental health
Some data published from the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey helps to tell the story here.
Black, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN), Hispanic, Latino, and people from two or more races who responded to that survey were more likely than white people to report that they feel sadness all or most of the time.
People from all of those minority groups and Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) people also reported that they feel like everything is an effort all or most of the time.
This all takes a toll. Data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) revealed that people from minority groups were more likely to go through serious psychological distress in the last year.
Combating systemic racism and the implications faced because of it creates unimaginable obstacles. During National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, it is imperative that, as a community, we strive to develop opportunities that increase the access that provides connection, care, and mental health support that may be needed.
That SAMHSA data we linked above showed that more than 22% of white people received mental health services in the last year. But over the same period of time, people from minority groups did not receive nearly as much care. In fact, only 13.5% of Black people received mental health services. For Hispanic and Latino people, that number dropped even lower, to 12.9%. And only 8.3% of Asian people received mental health care in the last year.
So here’s the state of things during Minority Mental Health Awareness Month 2023: people in minority groups experience an increased need for mental health care and are less likely to receive it.
Start the change
So, where do we begin? Start within your own community. How can you help everyone in your life open up about their mental health journey? Sharing your own story can be a great place to start.
If you want to go bigger than your own circle, turn to the internet. For starters, you can sign up to be a mental health advocate with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). This way, you’ll get alerts notifying you when you can get involved in advocating for state and national mental health policies.
You might also get social. NAMI recommends sharing your own mental health journey with #Act4MentalHealth to encourage your elected officials to support policy in favor of mental health. As election season draws nearer, you can also use #Vote4MentalHealth.
You have the chance to celebrate Minority Mental Health Awareness Month with your community. In doing so, you can create positive change. And don’t forget that when you need mental health care for yourself, our teams are here at the Ventura Counseling & Wellness Center and the West Valley Counseling Center.
