Let’s be honest, most of us don’t walk around saying we have a “mental health problem.” But did you know that Black adults are 20% MORE likely than white adults to experience serious issues like depression or anxiety? On top of that, even when we’re struggling, we’re less likely to actually seek help or get the proper care. What’s the deal with that?
Breaking it Down: Mental Health Disparities This fancy term simply means that when it comes to mental health, the system isn’t set up equally for everyone. For Black communities, this includes:
- Barriers to Treatment: Not enough therapists who understand our experiences, not having insurance, or plain ol’ not knowing where to start looking for help.
- Quality of Care: Sometimes when we do find mental health professionals, they might not be culturally sensitive, leading to misdiagnosis or treatments that just don’t feel right for us.
“Feeling Off” Isn’t Just Weakness Think about these, because sometimes they get written off as just “life”:
- You’ve been feeling down, unmotivated, and burnt out for way too long.
- Financial anxieties make it hard to sleep at night or enjoy anything, no matter how hard you hustle.
- Traumatic events – police harassment, witnessing violence, loss – make it impossible to move on, making you hypervigilant, or leading to angry outbursts.
Why Focus on the Black Community? This isn’t a competition about who has it worse. But let’s face it, on top of everyday stressors, the Black community carries the weight of historical trauma, the constant fight for equity, and a sense of always having to “be strong” no matter what. This takes a toll.
Not Just in our Heads So no, you aren’t crazy if you feel like something’s wrong, and it’s NOT just about personal weakness. There are bigger forces at play that make it harder for Black folks to thrive mentally. Recognizing this is the first step towards change.
Next Up The question isn’t IF there’s a mental health disparity problem, it’s WHY it exists and what we can do about it. Keep following this series as we unpack the complex reasons behind the statistics and find those paths to better mental health together.
Let’s Connect! Have these struggles hit home for you or someone you know? Share your thoughts in the comments, or just drop an emoji if you’re feeling seen 👇🏾
Sources
- NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness (https://nami.org)
- Use For: Main statistic on race-based mental health struggles
- CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov)
- Use For: More data-driven evidence, search for studies within their “Mental Health” section by race (https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/index.htm).
- The AAKOMA Project (https://aakomaproject.org/)
- Use For: Providing that culturally competent perspective missing from many mainstream mental health sites. Has insightful articles on navigating therapy specifically as a Black person.
- Mental Health America (https://www.mhanational.org/)
- Use For: Similar to NAMI, good for finding stats, but they highlight advocacy –
