July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Among adults with mental health or substance use issues, care access varies sharply by race. While 37.6% of people who identify as white receive care, only 22.4% of Latinos and 25.0% of Black Americans do, according to findings published by the National Library of Medicine. Every year, in an attempt to address this gap, National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is celebrated, offering organizations and the general public a time to reflect on the unique mental health challenges that minorities face.

“There are several barriers in [many minorities getting mental health treatment],” says Dr. Danielle J. Johnson, chief medical officer at the Lindner Center of HOPE. “Some of the biggest barriers include access to treatment, providers simply don’t match the percentage of people in the population and the stigma of receiving treatment is larger in minority populations.”

Stigma isn’t new, but for many minorities it carries added weight, says Lawrence McNickles, a counselor at Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services. “Mental health in America is much needed no matter what community you come from,” says McNickles. “It’s especially needed in the African American community because trauma is something that just about all African Americans have had to deal with at one place.”

Both professionals noted the lack of representation of ethnic and racial minorities within health care providers. Without professionals who can relate to the struggles of racial and ethnic minorities, people are less likely to seek help.

“We have people that come to our office on the west side [of the city] and say, ‘I’m looking for the Black guy,’ because there’re so few African Americans in this field,” says McNickles. However, this lack of diversity is unlikely to change soon, with low pay keeping many out of the field. “It’s not on par with someone in another field that has a graduate degree,” he says.

Despite these barriers, Johnson and McNickles do see a path forward through having open and honest discussions about mental health and minority identities.

“I think some of the stigma has improved,” Johnson says. “I think that the racial unrest and trauma that occurred around [2020] with George Floyd, a lot of people would talk about [mental health] on social media and news channels.” Despite this, Johnson does see some troubling roadblocks presenting themselves. “I think because there is an amount of mental distress that comes with poverty, with unemployment, with racial trauma that still occurs,” she says.

Moving forward, Johnson emphasized the need for more accessible, affordable providers. “Everyone needs to be able to pay for their medical care,” she says. “We need more providers available where people can access them and have the resources to see them and pay for them.” Moreover, both Johnson and McNickles see community education as a way forward. “The same way that people educate about blood pressure and diabetes is the same way we need to educate about mental health,” Johnson says.

With more representation in the mental health workforce, community education and open conversations, both McNickles and Johnson hope that the racial gap in mental health care can be closed.

“We have the tools,” McNickles says. “I’m not losing hope. I’m hopeful things will get better.”