Mind Your Mental Health - July is BIPOC Mental Health Month

Mind Your Mental Health

This health observance acknowledges that obtaining needed mental health care is often much more difficult within BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) communities. While millions of Americans face the challenges of living with a mental health condition, people in marginalized communities have additional barriers such as lack of health insurance and access to services, plus cultural stigma.

Many demographic categories of BIPOC individuals, including those living in poverty, report experiencing high levels of psychological distress, depression and suicidality.
Black and Hispanic Americans used mental health services at about half the rate of white Americans in the past year, while Asian Americans obtained care at one-third the rate.
Of Black American adults ages 26-49 with serious mental illness, 50.1% did not receive treatment.

Review these helpful resources:

Racism and Mental Health – Racism is a mental health issue because racism causes trauma. Racial trauma is the ongoing result of racism, racist bias, and exposure to racist abuse in the media. Here are four things you can do for your mental health.
Mental Health Resources for BIPOC and LGBTQ Communities – For access to 40+ nationwide resources including provider directories, health forums and networks, helplines, trauma centers and more, click here.
Cultivating Civility in your Work Environment – A civil work environment promotes productivity and teamwork. In this webinar, you’ll learn what workplace civility is, and what it is not, and understand the negative impact of incivility. Register for the upcoming webinar on Wednesday, July 14 at 2:00 pm ET.
How to Have Constructive and Respectful Relationships During Challenging Times – Learn the emotional impact of past and recent events and identify ways to cope and effectively interact with others. Play the webinar recording.

With your help, we can bring awareness to the prevalence of disparities with minority mental health care in our communities. It’s our job to help end the stigma surrounding mental health by sharing resources and starting conversations. Throughout the month of July, we encourage family, friends, and loved ones to learn more about BIPOC Mental Health Month.

Here are some important facts you should know:

Native Americans have the highest rate of young adult suicide of any ethnicity.
People from racial/ethnic minority groups are less likely to receive mental health care.
African Americans are 10% more likely to report having serious psychological distress than Non-Hispanic whites.

Lack of cultural understanding by health care providers may contribute to underdiagnosis and/or misdiagnosis of mental illness in people from racially/ethnically diverse populations.

In 2019, suicide was the second leading cause of death for Black or African Americans, ages 15 to 24. The death rate from suicide for Black or African American men was four times greater than for African American women, in 2018.

Remember, mental illness does not discriminate. Join us to help bring attention to the importance of sharing mental health stories and help improve the lives of millions of Americans living with a mental illness.

Help is available! Visit https://www.magellanhealthcare.com/about/bh-resources/mymh/ or contact your program to learn more about how to help yourself or someone you care about.