July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to bring awareness to the challenges ethnic and racial minorities face when it comes to mental illness and getting treatment for it. Minority mental health is something that impacts everyone, but systemic equity has not yet been reached in terms of who can receive care.
This month was first recognized in 2008 to honor Bebe Moore Campbell’s legacy, co-founder of NAMI Urban Los Angeles, who changed the way mental health was approached in underserved communities. In honor of her, this month highlights those who may have faced structural barriers to getting mental health care and/or experienced increased stigma due to cultural beliefs.
Minority mental health is not only shaped by personal struggle, but also by access, language, culture, stigma, and representation.
Structural Barriers to Mental Health Care
Mental health care disparities, meaning unfair differences in access to and quality of care due to race and ethnicity, are unfortunately very common. The treatment gap is larger in comparison to those who can access general healthcare. According to national survey data from SAMHSA, white adults with mental illness receive treatment at significantly higher rates, roughly 50%, compared to Black, Hispanic, or Asian adults. Reasons for this include socioeconomic disadvantages, workforce shortages, resource deserts, and communication barriers, such as language, which can lead to systemic bias.
These barriers stack for many families, as high out-of-pocket costs and lower rates of health insurance coverage combine to make treatment unaffordable. Added to this is the lack of clinics and providers in many minority neighborhoods, which significantly reduces options available in close proximity. Furthermore, extra stress is put on minority clients if they cannot speak English well enough to convey what they are feeling, which increases the risk of clinicians not providing adequate care due to bias.
Systemic bias within the healthcare system poses a massive threat to care. Even if clients coming from a minority group can find accessible clinics, these providers are not always open to accommodating clients who cannot speak English or have different cultural values. From the provider’s perspective, this may be viewed as an extra hurdle for them to deal with rather than respecting the client’s needs.
Within the context of cultural beliefs, an ongoing struggle for many young adults coming from racial and ethnic minorities is finding a mental health care provider who is culturally competent and understands the struggles they face. These struggles, often related to balancing cultural stigma and living in an individualistic community, are often misunderstood or misinterpreted by providers.
This ties into the stigma surrounding mental illness that minority members face when considering mental health.
Stigma: A Cultural Burden
Stigma against mental health is the shared set of negative beliefs that devalue and/or shame those who are experiencing mental illness. It is a general disapproval against dealing with mental illness and shapes how emotional struggles should be perceived. This stigma causes communities to respond to symptoms of mental illness as a personal weakness rather than a medical issue that can be treated.
Individuals experiencing stigma often internalize negative beliefs regarding seeking help and may delay finding care and/or isolate themselves.
There has been an increase in the conversation regarding seeking mental health support in recent years, but these changes in attitude are not often reflective of cultural minority groups who still experience stigma from both society and family members, where a generational difference also plays a role in increased stigma.
Family dynamics in ethnic and racial minorities are important to consider, as many BIPOC communities place a heavy emphasis on collectivist values, focusing on the good and needs of a whole population rather than individualized care. Collectivism can create a tight-knit and secure community experienced in ethnic families, but less emphasis placed on the individual means mental health issues are often overlooked.
Within the context of society, there are a set of systematic beliefs that individuals coming from minority communities are already “mentally strong” and prepared to deal with daily life challenges faced at school or work. A common example is the case of the “Strong Black Woman,” which presumes that Black women in successful positions are doing fine on their own and do not need support. Another example can be attributed to immigrant communities, who faced hardship assimilating to a new culture and way of life, and since they have already toughed it out, they can continue to do so.
In reality, these are very damaging beliefs that continue to stereotype racial and ethnic minorities. This is exactly why this month exists: to shed light on the pressures that minority groups face when considering mental health.
Why Representation Matters
I mentioned cultural competency earlier in the article, which is the ability to understand and connect with individuals coming from varying cultural backgrounds. Representation in the mental health field is important because there is no one way to understand the mental health struggles people from these varying backgrounds can face.
Currently, there is a lack of diversity among providers. According to a 2015 survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, roughly 86% of active psychologists in the U.S. are white. Black, Hispanic, and Asian professionals combined make up less than 8% of the workforce in comparison.
Being a culturally competent provider in today’s day and age is more important than ever, as it helps to reduce cultural stigma and prevent misdiagnosis. Especially during an unofficial mental health epidemic, understanding the underlying factors that affect minority mental health can lead to more beneficial treatment outcomes.
Related read: You may also like our article on 3 Grounding Practices That Honor Cultural Tradition.
How to Take Action
Even beyond this month, we can all take steps in our own communities to advocate for anyone receiving the support they need. Even small things like practicing open dialogue at home with friends and family can keep the conversation going. Continue to push back against harmful narratives because vulnerability is not a weakness, but rather a necessity for us to better understand each other.
Mental health care is a fundamental right for everyone, regardless of where they come from or how they grew up. It should never be a privilege. By recognizing these barriers and dismantling cultural stigma, we can do better to make sure everyone realizes it is okay to seek help and express their feelings.
Finding mental health support is not a weakness, but rather an act of strength and knowing how to advocate for yourself.
If you are looking for support that understands your language, identity, and cultural background, MeTime Healing can help you start with care that feels more personal and culturally aware.
