The Importance of Addressing Mental Health in The Black Community This Black History Month

At Voices Meet Minds, we think everyone deserves to feel seen and heard in their struggles with mental health. So while it’s uncomfortable to talk about, we wanted to spread awareness of the mental health struggles in the Black community and share our genuine compassion for those who are struggling.

Black adults are more likely than white adults to report emotional distress.

According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black adults in the U.S. are more likely to report sadness and feeling like everything is an effort. This is even worse with black adults living below the poverty line, who are more than twice as likely to report serious psychological distress. 

Only 1 in 3 Black adults with mental illness receive treatment.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported that only 1 in 3 Black adults receive mental health treatment. Leaving 67% of black adults with mental health issues receiving treatment. 

The Black Community is disproportionately left out of research and mental health-specific treatment plans.

The American Psychiatric Association emphasized how Black adults getting treated for mental health are still left out of specific treatment plans and mental health conversations. The organization highlights that they are more likely to use emergency rooms or primary care instead of mental health specialists, less likely to receive guideline-consistent care, and are less likely to be included in new research or mental health conversations.

Why this is the case

The barriers the Black community faces to receive mental health care can be identified by the five social determinants of health (SDOH), which include economic stability, education access and quality, healthcare access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context. All of which the Black community receives limited access to in a country that emphasizes equality.

Conclusion

This should make us pause and take actions towards breaking the barriers that are keeping the Black community from getting access to the care they need. Practical ways to do this are to push for legislation on making health insurance more accessible, empowering people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to work in the mental health field, and lowering the barrier to entry for culturally-competent providers to study and find work in mental health services.

We’ll be sharing helpful resources in our next post, but we hope this is helpful in spreading awareness to what is happening in the Black community when it comes to mental health.