“African Americans have historically faced stigma related to mental health… Events centered around racial injustices and even the COVID-19 pandemic continue to bring conversations around mental health access for African Americans to the forefront of national dialogue. This need is further perpetuated as African Americans continue to experience racism, discrimination, and inequity — all of which can significantly affect a person’s mental health,”
“Age-old disparities in mental health treatment, coupled with implicit bias among providers and die-hard myths among African Americans, had experts worried long before the shockwaves sent by the pandemic, job loss and images of Floyd begging for his life on a Minneapolis street. But the ongoing need for social distancing to prevent spreading the coronavirus – along with restrictions on important community spaces like barber shops, beauty parlors and churches – are making the crisis even worse.”
“ As a result of increasing awareness and outrage regarding systemic racism and police brutality in the United States, there has been growing recognition of the pervasive influence of racism across a range of settings, including the medical and scientific communities. Although Black clinicians and researchers have long voiced the need for increased attention toward the effects of racism on the mental health of Black Americans, experts of other races have recently begun to recognize and champion this goal as well.”
“Black youth in the U.S. experience more illness, poverty, and discrimination than their White counterparts. These issues put them at higher risk for depression and other mental health problems. Yet Black youth are less likely to seek treatment. About 9 percent of them reported an episode of major depression in the past year, but less than half of those — about 40 percent — received treatment. By comparison, about 46 percent of White youth who reported an episode were treated for depressive symptoms.”
“Black women in particular endure unique challenges due to their intersectional cultural identities. Elyse Fox and Sad Girl’s Club continues to work and think of ways to not only increase knowledge and accessibility for women of color but also to reduce the existing stigma and barriers which prevent women – Black women, in particular – from seeking mental health treatment.”
“Calling racial bias protective is misguided and harmful for several reasons. There is widespread suffering and even death caused by the lack of pain treatment. There is also potential to further stigmatize racial minorities who do have opioid use disorder. Overshadowing all these factors is the persistent legacy of this nation’s history of deeply rooted, structural racism.”
