Change Your World Week Fall 2021 (Archived)

Mental health is not just a concern for those who struggle with mental illness,  it affects everyone. It includes your emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and it can affect your physical health too. Mental health issues are very common in the US. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that 50% of Americans are diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lives.  People of color and all those whose lives have been marginalized by those in power experience life differently from those whose lives have not been devalued. They experience overt racism and bigotry far too often, leading to a deeper mental health burden than what others may face. Racism is a mental health issue because racism causes trauma. And trauma paints a direct line to mental illnesses. Past trauma is prominently mentioned as the reason that people experience serious mental health conditions today. For decades, people of color have experienced excessive worry about their family’s safety, feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and emotional distress because of something completely out of their control: Their race.

Mental health racial disparities exist for many reasons

• People from all ethnic backgrounds and cultures refrain from seeking treatment due to:
  • Cultural and Social stigmas that surround receiving mental health care
  • Lack of Cross-Cultural Psychologists
  • Provider shortages
  • Inaccessibility of high-quality mental health care services
• In some cultures, it is not uncommon to hear voices - which in turn, can cause a person to underestimate the seriousness of the situation
• Diagnostic considerations for mental health racial disparities include:
  • Misinterpretation of symptoms
  • Minimization of symptoms that could not warrant mental health treatment
• Some cultures use traditional healing methods versus modern approaches to psychiatric therapy. 
• High cost of insurance or insurance that does not cover mental health care
• Non-existent help-seeking behaviors
  • often taught at a young age prompting people to mask symptoms
  • help-avoidance to mask incompetence

Mental health is something that should be important to every individual. No matter the age, gender, or race, mental illness can affect anyone. This means that everyone should also have access to the correct care and resources to get help and improve their mental health. Below are some statistics about mental health and racial disparities. 

   Today, racial disparities relating to mental health issues are more prevalent than ever, in large part because of the Covid-19 pandemic. During Covid-19, there has been a rise in the number of people that need mental health services. In a study conducted by the CDC in 2020, 36.3% of people were experiencing anxiety or depression and there was an increase among all races in comparison to their poll from 2019. However, there is inadequate access to mental health services for many minority communities. For example, according to Mental Health First Aid, 48% of white people with mental health issues were reported to receive mental health services compared to 31% of African Americans and Hispanic Americans. This is an alarming amount of discrepancy that shows not nearly enough is being done so that minority communities can have proper access to these services. Moreover, SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) states that Blacks and Latinos with mental health problems are more likely to be incarcerated or homeless. This puts them at risk during COVID-19 because of the reported increase in people of all demographics suffering from mental health problems. Without proper access to mental health services, people's conditions will continue to get worse and there will be a rise in incarcerations and homelessness.

       Additionally, there is a disparity in who accesses mental health services because of the stigma around mental health in many communities. With an increase in mental health problems during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to get rid of this stigma, so that people of all demographics can feel comfortable receiving treatment such as seeing a therapist or going to group therapy. In a recent poll conducted by the American Physicatric Association, about half of people who have mental health issues are concerned about being treated differently or losing their jobs. This shows that decreasing the stigma around mental health in the workplace is one of the best ways to help the many people struggling with mental health problems and will be beneficial to the overall public health among all communities. The way that the workplaces around the country can do this is by being proactive and addressing the problem by supporting the people who need help.

Most Common Ways Used To Help

• Psychotheraphy
  • The therapeutic treatment of mental illness provided by a trained mental health professional. 
  • Explores thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and seeks to improve an individual's well being.
  • Psychotherapy paired with medication is the most effective way to promote recovery.
    • examples include: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, etc.
• Medication
  • Does not outright cure mental health illness. However, it may help with the management of symptoms.
• Case management
  • Services for an individual with the help of a case manager.
  • Help assess, plan, and implement a number of strategies for recovery.
• Hospitalization
  • In small cases hospitalization may be necessary.
  • They do this so the individual can be closely monitored, accurately diagnosed or have medications adjusted in the case of their mental illness getting worse.
• Support Group
  • It's a group meeting where members guide each other towards the shared goal of recovery.
  • This is found to be helpful because they others in the group know what it is like to struggle with mental illness so they are relatable.
• Complementary & Alternative Medicine
  • treatment and practices that aren't typically standard care.
• Self Help Plan
  • A unique health plan where an individual addresses their condition by using strategies that promote wellness.
  • Typically involve addressing wellness, recovery, triggers or warning signs.
• Peer Support
  • This may be one of the best forms of help, because whether the person may or may not relate to the situation, they know the person and it may be easier for them to help pull the person out of their mental state and help them from going back. 

Alkermes, et al. “The State of Mental Health in America.” Https://Www.Mhanational.Org/Issues/State-Mental-Health-America, Mental Health America, Inc., 2021, www.mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america.

American Psychiatric Association. “Stigma and Discrimination.” Web Starter Kit, 2019, www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/stigma-and-discrimination.

Blumberg, S. J., Clarke, T. C., & Blackwell, D. L. (2015, November 6). Products - data briefs - number 206 - June 2015. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db206.htm. 

https://mhanational.org/mental-health-treatments

Kapil, Rubina. “The Impact of COVID-19 on Minority Mental Health.” Mental Health First Aid, 23 Aug. 2021, www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2021/07/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-minority-mental-health.

LSW, Written by: Aaliyah Nurideen. “How Does Racism Affect Mental Health?” Choosing Therapy, 25 Nov. 2020, https://www.choosingtherapy.com/racism-mental-health/. 

McKnight-Eily, Lela. “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Prevalence ...” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Feb. 2021, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7005a3.htm.

Mental Health America "Mental health Treatments"

Simmons University. (2021). Racial disparities in mental health treatment | simmons online. Racial Disparities in Mental Health Treatment. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://online.simmons.edu/blog/racial-disparities-in-mental-health-treatment/. 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Double Jeopardy: Covid-19 and Behavioral Health Disparities for Black and Latino Communities in the U.S.” SAMSHA, 2020, www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/covid19-behavioral-health-disparities-black-latino-communities.pdf.

Timothy B. Creedon and Benjamin Lê Cook, L, C.-C., CL, B., S, M. M., BD, S., BL, C., M, M., K, B., R, G., J, K., FT, L., KC, T., RC, K., Al., E., McKenna, R. M., & Han, B. (2016, June 1). Access to mental health care increased but not for substance use, while disparities remain: Health Affairs Journal. Health Affairs. Retrieved October 28, 2021, from https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0098.