Saturday, February 15, 2025

Why It’s Time to Shift the Focus to Mental Health in the Black Community

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Why It’s Time to Shift the Focus to Mental Health in the Black Community

The Impact of Systemic Racism on Black Mental Health

Diminished access to mental health care is one of the many ways systemic racism has affected the Black community — but things are starting to change.

Despite the importance of mental health, the topic is often overlooked in discussions about the effects of healthcare inequity and inequality on Black communities. Not only is it overlooked, but when Black folks do speak up and seek help, there are significant barriers that prevent them from accessing the mental health care they need.

The Importance of Mental Health

Our “health” encompasses everything about us — from the well-being of our bodies to our emotional state and so much more. But even though we often view health through a primarily physical lens, the reality is that our mental health is just as integral to our overall sense of wellness.

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Mental health is an incredibly important factor for a fulfilling life. And having good mental health means having a better quality of life and satisfaction with your overall being. Mental well-being should always be prioritized to ensure that everyone can experience stability and wellness in their lives.

The Disparities in Black Mental Health

However, in BIPOC communities in the United States, especially in Black communities, factors like racism, oppression, and trauma can severely affect a person’s mental well-being and contribute to huge disparities in mental illness rates.

Mental illness is a pervasive issue in the African American community, with many negative social and economic impacts. Factors driving mental health disparities among African Americans include:

• Distrust of the medical system
• Institutionalized racism and oppression
• Trauma caused by racism and violence
• Healthcare inequities
• Lack of access to quality mental health care
• Cultural competency gaps among providers
• The lack of diverse mental health professionals
• The common stigma of seeking help within the Black community

While all these elements can compound mental health factors for the Black community, we should be clear that Black people experience mental health conditions at similar rates to other racial groups. However, when they do, Black people tend to have a much harder time accessing resources to treat them.

The Barriers to Accessing Mental Health Care

While recognizing the factors that contribute to healthcare disparities is important, it’s also just as important to understand how these issues can affect access to mental health treatment.

These issues create significant barriers to necessary mental health services for African Americans. In fact, research has shown that these factors can affect everything from perceived stigma during visits to overall treatment satisfaction in Black folks who access healthcare services.

In one study from 2019, researchers pinpointed four significant factors that affected healthcare experiences in Black adults with unmet mental health needs:

• Interconnected oppression
• Double discrimination
• Institutional mistrust
• Microaggressions

Many of these factors make it difficult (if not impossible) for Black community members to seek out treatment or receive the level of care that they need.

The Need for Cultural Competence and Representation

Data from the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2021 showed that only 5.08% of the psychology workforce was Black — as opposed to 80.85% being white.

According to Owoo, this disparity is likely due to the same factors that prevent Black community members from accessing mental health care.

“With mental illness having a profound impact on the Black community, yet lacking access to therapists that understand their culture, history, and experiences, it’s important to break down the stigma surrounding mental health and increase the visibility of Black professionals in the field,” says Owoo.

“By having more Black therapists available, clients are empowered to open up about their concerns in an environment that feels safe and familiar,” she adds.

The Intersection of Race and Mental Health

“When considering the impact of mental illness on African Americans, you cannot overlook how centuries of systemic racism and oppression have exacerbated the effects of mental illness in the population,” says Owoo.

And we only have to look as far as the recent COVID-19 pandemic — and the social situations that presented and still continue to present themselves — to see the effects.

“COVID-19 has further increased rates of anxiety and depression amongst African Americans, while racial trauma is leading to an alarming increase in cases of PTSD,” she explains.

In a recent study from 2022, researchers found that not only did the levels of fatigue, stress, anxiety, and depression increase in Black communities during COVID-19, but so did the barriers to proper treatment — barriers like inaccessibility to services and increased discrimination, for example.

Conclusion

Black communities have long felt the psychological, social, and economic effects of healthcare disparities — disparities that continue to exist in every corner of the healthcare experience, including mental health treatment.

As we continue to address these disparities and work toward healthcare equity for all, it’s crucial that we don’t overlook the importance of equity within Black mental health care, too.

FAQs

Q: What are some common barriers to accessing mental health care in the Black community?
A: Some common barriers include distrust of the medical system, institutionalized racism and oppression, trauma caused by racism and violence, healthcare inequities, lack of access to quality mental health care, cultural competency gaps among providers, and the lack of diverse mental health professionals.

Q: What can be done to increase access to mental health care in the Black community?
A: Some steps that can be taken include increasing the visibility of Black professionals in the field, breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health, and increasing access to culturally competent care.

Q: How can we promote equity in mental health care for the Black community?
A: Some ways to promote equity include addressing systemic racism and oppression, increasing access to quality mental health care, and providing culturally competent care.

Q: What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in the Black community?
A: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased rates of anxiety and depression amongst African Americans, while racial trauma is leading to an alarming increase in cases of PTSD.

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