July is BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month
This observance highlights the presence of unfair inequities such as systemic discrimination and racism that negatively impact the mental health of those in Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
- While millions of Americans face the challenges of living with mental health conditions, people in marginalized communities may additionally struggle with a lack of health insurance and access to services, plus cultural stigma that that discourages getting care.
- Research has shown that BIPOC groups are:
- Less likely to have access to mental health services
- Less likely to seek out treatment
- More likely to receive low or poor quality of care
- More likely to end services early
- If someone you know may need help with a mental health condition, encourage them to contact a licensed mental health professional. Recovery is possible!
July is BIPOC Mental Health Month. Throughout the month, we will be highlighting the importance of speaking openly about mental health. As hard as it is for anyone to get proper mental health care in the United States, it’s even harder for racial, ethnic, religious and gender minorities. Not only are there the problems most of us experience, but there are added burdens of access and quality-of-care.
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.
- 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.
- Suicide attempts for Hispanic girls, grades 9-12, were 30 percent higher than for non-Hispanic white girls in the same age group, in 2019.
- 50 percent of Latinx transgender youth experience depression symptoms and suicidal ideation compared with white transgender youth.
- People from racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to receive mental health care. 48% of whites received mental health services, compared with 31% of blacks and Hispanics, and 22% of Asians.
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.
Visit MagellanHealthcare.com/about/bh-resources/mymh or call your program for confidential mental health resources.