*There are a lot of programs out there that are working locally and nationally to raise awareness about mental health problems in the Black community – but the question is why? Why are we any different from the rest? Why don’t we see such extensive mental health programs for White folks?

Well, it is widely believed that anyone can be at risk of mental disorders and should heed effective and early interventions. Historically, however, the communities of color have been known to experience some quite considerable and unique challenges when it comes to having access to mental health services.

Societal/Demographic Issues

You already know how the Black community has faced adversity historically, such as is in the case of race-based exclusion from economic, social, educational, and health resources. Other than this, we already know of a lot of sharecropping and slavery.

All of these disparities led to socioeconomic problems that have bottlenecked over the years and really began hitting the Black community in 2010. Naturally, the people who have problems like substance abuse, people who have been incarcerated, are homeless or are impoverished have a higher risk of having poor mental health.

Due to all of the above, it has been found that adults from the Black community are more likely to reports some serious psychological distress as opposed to adults from the White community. It was also found in a recent study that African American teenagers weren’t more likely to die from suicide but would definitely attempt it more than White teenagers.

MALINDA WILLIAMS GIVES ADVICE FOR MOTHER’S DEALING WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE – WATCH

Treatment Issues

Another fact of the matter is that Black people tend to be over-represented in our prisons and jails. These people make up for about 60% of the population in prisons and about 37% of all the drug arrests. Another very troubling fact is that the American Psychological Association only consists of about 2% Black members. This brings about the theory that other mental health practitioners may not be prepared for the problems faced by the Black community.

What makes matters doubly worse is that there are a considerable number of Black patients out there who have reported that they faced microaggression or racism from their therapists. Even if this was untrue, the judgment and stigma remain in the Black community when it comes to people seeking treatment for their mental health problems.

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