It’s not shameful to have a mental illness. Get treatment. Recovery is possible. - Bebe Moore Campbell, founder of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Urban Los Angeles Chapter - 2005
During National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in July, Georgetown Behavioral Health Institute would like to shine some light and bring awareness to the mental health issues those in the minority communities face.
Despite advances in health equity over the past decade, disparities in mental health care persist.. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports that racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S. are less likely to have access to mental health services, less likely to use community mental health services, more likely to use emergency departments, and more likely to receive lower quality care. Poor mental health care access and quality of care contribute to poor mental health outcomes, including suicide, among racial and ethnic minority populations.
In 2017, 10.5% (3.5 million) of young adults age 18 to 25 had serious thoughts of suicide including 8.3% of non-Hispanic blacks and 9.2% of Hispanics.
In 2017, 7.5% (2.5 million) of young adults age 18 to 25 had a serious mental illness including 7.6% of non-Hispanic Asians, 5.7% of Hispanics and 4.6% of non-Hispanic blacks.
Feelings of anxiety and other signs of stress may become more pronounced during a global pandemic.
People in some racial and ethnic minority groups may respond more strongly to the stress of a pandemic or crisis.
Experiencing and witnessing racism in any of its forms has traumatic effects that can build up with time and repetition. Resources to help Black people and other people of color care for their mental health through the trauma of racism are listed below.
Cultural and linguistic competency is recognized as an important strategy for improving the quality of care provided to clients from diverse backgrounds. The goal of this e-learning program is to help behavioral health professionals increase their cultural and linguistic competency.
Hispanic/Latinx Community
Latinx and Hispanic communities show similar vulnerability to mental illness as the white population, however, they face disparities in both access to and the quality of treatment. Learn more on how this disparity puts these communities at higher risk.
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