July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and aims to raise awareness of the particular challenges that ethnic minority populations in the U.S. experience when it comes to mental illness. Mental health involves one’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It has an impact on how a person thinks, feels, behaves, manages stress, interacts with others, and makes decisions. Ethnicity, gender, or identity exclusion is not present in cases of mental health illness. No matter what upbringing, anyone can struggle with mental illness.
However, access to mental health care may be significantly more challenging due to background and identity. Language barriers between patients and healthcare professionals, the stigma associated with mental illness among minority groups, and culturally specific presentation of symptoms are all factors that may lead to a misdiagnosis. People from ethnically diverse groups may have their mental illness misdiagnosed or under-diagnosed as a result of healthcare professionals’ lack of cultural knowledge. These obstacles cause ethnic minorities to have greater rates of mental health diseases including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. This frequently results in severe emotions of rejection, isolation, and expulsion in these communities. It is also the reason why mental health is frequently stigmatized, seen as a sign of weakness, or seen as something a higher power will heal among marginalized and minority cultures.
When persons from ethnic minority backgrounds encounter additional stresses and lack access to the resources and support they require to cope with these challenges, their mental health may worsen. Disparities in mental health care continue over time despite improvements in health equity. While many people think the focus of this month centers on ethnic, cultural, or underrepresented populations, it also encompasses other demographics who are sometimes overlooked when it comes to receiving mental health care. Everyone has the best possible chance to achieve their optimum degree of mental health and emotional well-being whenever there is mental health equity.
How can you assist? Understanding the unique mental health issues that marginalized populations endure might be helpful, but it’s also essential to take action to alter the situation. When capacity permits, educate yourself and others about mental health, talk openly about it, show compassion rather than judgment, and help advocate for and support initiatives related to mental health that positively impact and position historically excluded populations. Share with your family, friends, and neighbors information on mental healthiness and effective coping mechanisms for managing stressful times. Know what resources are available for those experiencing a mental health crisis. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, local support can be found through the Gulf Bend Center Hotline at (877)723-3422. Nationally, you can call or text 988 to connect with professionals at the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for support and resources. The Lifeline can also be reached through their website at https://988lifeline.org/.
The Be Well Victoria program of the Victoria County Public Health Department collaborates with organizations outside of conventional healthcare systems to foster a better understanding of the impacts on mental health. Additionally, our community health workers collaborate with the local community to find, evaluate, and encourage improvements to practices that enhance mental health. Our team transforms how communities support well-being and promote mental health in day-to-day activities by fostering community unity and culture, hosting neighborhood events, providing trainings and workshops that promote overall health and well-being, and maintaining a partnership directory for the mobile community resource center.
Gail Wright is a Community Health Worker with the Victoria County Public Health Department. She is a graduate student at the University of Houston-Victoria finishing her Master of Education with a Concentration in Curriculum and Instructional Technology degree this fall.