Mental Health and Minorities
July is National Minority Mental Health Month!
All racial, ethnic and family cultures have positive and/or negative attitudes about receiving mental health services. Views such as: getting help is a betrayal of family privacy, admitting mental health issues is a weakness, or talking about feelings has no value, all stem from stigmas. Sadly, these mental health stigmas prevent people from getting professional help that could benefit them.
Despite the prevalence of mental illness in all races, ethnic minorities proportionately receive less mental health treatment than Whites. (NIMH, 2019). As well, minorities (now known as BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color)are also less likely than Whites to seek out treatment and more likely to end treatment prematurely (Wong et al., 2017). A lack of resources or community access are among the causes. Misconceptions about mental health and associated stigmas are also a reason.
Research reveals some interesting differences in the views of mental health within specific minority groups. For example,
Non-whites generally perceive people with mental illnesses as more dangerous and needing social segregation(Eylem et al., 2020).
Asian-Americans who have mental illness themselves express feelings of inferiority and are less hopeful that they could be contributing members of society than their White counterparts.
Latinos are more likely to say that they would conceal a mental health problem from coworkers or classmates. Latinos with mental illness also express feelings of embarrassment and of not-being understood within their culture.
Interestingly, Blacks with mental illness were less embarrassed about seeking help than Whites(Wong et al., 2017).
Many organic causes for mental illnesses can be treated with medical help. Professionals can also help those with mental health setbacks caused by unhealthy emotional, relational and behavioral habits. The important point is that there is hope for improving our mental health, and our minds are worth our attention.
Wellspring is dedicated to restoring the hearts and minds of people of all races and ethnicities. We apply for grants to serve the under-resourced, and we have multiple offices and utilize Telehealth to bring services to clients in all parts of Miami-Dade and throughout Florida. Through mental health education and cultural sensitivity, we also seek to encourage people of color to recognize and overcome the stigmas that may prevent them from seeking help.
References
National Institute of Mental Health. (2019, February). Mental Illness. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml
Wong, E., Collins, R., Cerully, J., Seelam, R., & Roth, B. (2017, January 13). Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness Stigma and Discrimination Among Californians Experiencing Mental Health Challenges. Retrieved July 09, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5568160/
Eylem, O., Wit, L. D., Straten, A. V., Steubl, L., Melissourgaki, Z., Danışman, G. T., . . . Cuijpers, P. (2020). Stigma for Common Mental Disorders in Racial Minorities and Majorities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-15675/v2