The Elephant in the Room—Mental Health Stigma in Communities of Color

The stigma surrounding acknowledging and seeking care for mental health concerns in communities of color is astounding—not only in its long-standing influence but especially in the devastation that it has caused in in the quality of life of these communities.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), “African Americans sometimes experience more severe forms of mental health conditions due to unmet needs and other barriers. According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the general population”.

Only about 25% of people of color are likely to seek mental health care or engage in therapy as compared to the 40% likelihood of their white counterparts. Even worse is the issue of access to care as affected by socioeconomic status and geographic placement of mental healthcare resources , but we’ll save that particular issue for another post.

The stigma on mental healthcare in communities of color often manifests itself in 3 main ways: invalidation (there’s no such thing), denial of mental health dis-ease (I’m not experiencing this, I’m just __) and derision of engagement in mental healthcare services (I don’t need to see a shrink. Why would I pay money to lay on some random person’s couch and talk about my ‘feelings’??).

Unfortunately, many people of color suffer in silence due to the stigma associated with seeking out and receiving mental healthcare services. This stigma is largely due to ignorance about mental health services and a long-standing fear of appearing ‘weak’ and/or being vulnerable in the minds of others whose opinions we care more about than ourselves.

If you or someone you know is struggling mentally/emotionally I encourage you to really give it a try and make a decision for yourself as to whether or not it can work for you.

Comment below if you or someone you know has tried counseling or some other form of mental healthcare! What was your/their experience?

Marie