By Andrea Rodgers
Mental health conditions do not discriminate based on race, color, gender, or identity.
Anyone can experience the challenges of mental illness regardless of their background. However, background and identity can make access to mental health treatment much more difficult. Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 2008 to start changing this trajectory.
Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental health condition.
Taking on the challenges of mental health conditions, health coverage and the stigma of mental illness requires all of us. In many communities, these problems are increased by less access to care, cultural stigma and lower quality care.
The 2022 theme for Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Month is Beyond the Numbers. The goal is to highlight both the obstacles’ minorities face acknowledging the resilience of these communities. In general, mental illness is an equalizer of sorts. It does not discriminate as there are scores of individuals across our country and state dealing with its effects.
However statistically speaking Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) are more likely to experience mental health symptoms and be subjected to significant barriers to accessing needed interventions. Beyond the numbers is significant because the “numbers” are more than just information in a data report. Each number represents a BIPOC person as a significant life, connected to a community and family.
Where are we now?
Presently, we are still reeling from the effects of the covid-19 pandemic. We have also become keenly aware of multiple “pandemics” present in our country. While not new, they include systemic racism, implicit bias, oppression, and another often ignored is traumatic stress. When communities at large are hit by world events, communities of color are disproportionately affected at a greater rate. The culmination results in a crisis. Often African Americans and people of color do not reach out externally for assistance in crisis for several reasons. Stigma is recognized as a barrier by, Bebe Moore Campbell stating, ““People of color, particularly African Americans, feel the stigma more keenly. In a race-conscious society, some do not want to be perceived as having yet another deficit.”
In addition to stigma, those who are classified as helpers are not seen always seen as the helpers. Dr. Malati K. Harris, MD, with Free State Family Medicine and a member of HEAT (Health Equity Advancement Team) states “Black individuals and other minority groups feel they are dismissed and that their pain is not recognized accurately or is written off as ‘fake’.”
So, What Do We Do?
As we attempt to create healthy spaces in our communities, it is crucial to define what care and healing look like? Sonia Jordan, the Director of Informatics for LDCPH, said that “when looking at the root causes of the systemic issues, it is important not only to focus on opportunity enhancement, but barrier reduction.
Reducing the barriers to access and implementation can lead to better health outcomes.” It is imperative to have a dual approach we can look at ourselves individually for what we need but we also must have a collective outward approach to see what systems issues are in place. Awareness is the preliminary phase. The pace must continue with education, communication, and implementation. The better option is to not just tolerate but to respect the different experiences of each member of our community including race, class, gender, orientation, ability, age, and other intersectional identities.
The phrase it takes a village to raise a child conveys the necessity of multiple entities providing safety and security. Tackling the challenges of mental health conditions, health coverage and the stigma of mental illness will require the village.
We can define and redefine our villages to include natural supports such as family members and friends, our faith based and spiritual communities, professionals that are culturally engaged, neighborhoods in which we feel safe and practitioners that we can trust. It also includes getting adequate rest, setting proper boundaries in our lives, and minimizing stress. Self-care is a buzz word, and it seems contrite in the chaos a society the seeks to diminish your value. Yet it is essential not just for our mental health but for us mind body and spirit.
In the words of the National Association of Mental Illness, “Together, we can realize our shared vision of a nation where anyone affected by mental illness — no matter their background, culture, ethnicity or identity — can get the appropriate support and quality of care to live healthy, fulfilling lives.”
For more information and resources on minority mental health, visit:
https://www.onlinemswprograms.com/resources/social-issues/mental-health-resources-racial-ethnic-groups/
https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/self-care
Andrea Rodgers is a MA LLP IMH-E, Administrator of Children’s Outpatient Services at Hegira Health Inc.
