Introduction
African Americans have long been a significant minority group suffering discrimination in vital parts of society. Mental disorders are more severe, persistent, and disabling in African American communities, even though their susceptibility to such disorders is more or less that of their white counterpart. In addition, African Americans are less likely to exploit psychiatric opportunities, and often of low quality, once they can access them. Mental wellness in African American communities is generally more prevalent due to exposure to social stigma from a long history of racism coupled with current social issues like inadequate resources to allow them to afford proper medical care. However, despite the external continued factors disadvantaging African Americans, it is important that the African American community increases awareness of such issues and comes up with solutions that are culture-specific and considerate to the exact social issue being addressed.
Problem Statement
Matters revolving around mental health and illnesses have always been plagued with myths, misconceptions and stereotypes that enable stigma on victims. However, populations are becoming increasingly aware of mental health issues and are accepting therapeutic measures as defined by their diagnosis. While still trying to advance better approaches in dealing with mental health issues, researchers broaden the topic to get an understanding based on demographic factors like race, age, and gender, among others. African Americans represent a race that has inherently been on the receiving end of injustices and discrimination, thus, with public health issues like mental well-being, they are likely to be more disadvantaged. Moreover, social stigmas around mental health need to be deconstructed within the African American community, thus, such research can be significant in creating awareness and enabling long-term solutions.
Creating awareness of mental health can help influence stereotypes that have influenced the disparity when seeking health. For instance, African American women are less likely to seek help for depression due to social constructivism, which requires them to be strong, independent, and capable of regulating emotions (Nelson et al., 2020). Such women, despite having resources, are hesitant to seek treatment because they have been conditioned by society to mask their pain, prove independence by not looking vulnerable or seeking help, and generally lack self-care as they strive to survive. With such factors, it is typical that African American women delay seeking treatment until symptoms get severe. Additionally, racism plays a role in that such a population is often misdiagnosed in that depression is treated as a psychotic disorder as a ‘typical’ ailment for African Americans (Nelson et al., 2020). If such aspects of racism, which breed stereotypes and misconceptions that make it difficult for such women to seek treatment until it is too late due to stigma, are talked about and called out through creating awareness, it would be easier for victims to seek treatment early enough and get a chance at quality care.
Creating awareness is also critical in changing attitudes that enable this disparity of mental health disparity. Depression, for instance, is often conceptualized as a sign of weakness, thus making it hard for such people to seek help. African Americans being a minority group, tends to report discrimination in various aspects of their lives. With mental health issues, which have been overlooked for decades, African Americans do not find a reason to go to a healthcare facility to seek help, only to be discriminated against in how they are handled and possibly their diagnosis and eventually the medication (Alang, 2019). Therefore, not seeking help for mental health issues provides such a minority population with a chance to reduce their exposure structures that serve as tools of racial oppression.
Mental illness is one way that has been found to institutionalize the African American Community, an aspect which leads to increased institutional mistrust prompting the community to be adamant in seeking help. Studies have recorded African American respondents going to mental health institutions to seek help but end up losing things, families, jobs, and in some cases, total loss of control of their lives. Therefore, mental health literacy and stigma campaigns, in addition to existing anti-racism awareness projects, can aid in intervening and addressing mental well-being among African Americans in an effective way. Due to the increased mistrusts due to racism and stereotypes, contingency measures should involve prevention and increased access to mental health services by utilizing community organizations like the church (Codjoe et al., 2019). When health professionals utilize community organizations that African Americans embrace, they can solve the problem of mistrust and approach the mental health problem from a cultural perspective, thus utilizing acceptable and tolerable interventions. However, such organizations must be well equipped with the knowledge around mental health to address issues of sensitivity that may rub cultures and religious beliefs and how they relate to attitudes and behaviours towards mental health.
Conclusion
Mental wellness in African American communities is generally more prevalent due to exposure to social stigma from a long history of racism coupled with current social issues like inadequate resources to allow them to afford proper medical care. However, despite the external continued factors disadvantaging African Americans, it is important that the African American community increases awareness of such issues and comes up with culturally specific solutions to the exact social issue being addressed. Ending the stigma through creating awareness within communities can help improve access in that such populations are likely to seek help early enough. Finally, racism also hinders the African American community from seeking help as it seems as another institution that disadvantages them and with mental health problems can and has been used to prove that agenda.
References
Alang, S. M. (2019). Mental health care among blacks in America: Confronting racism and constructing solutions. Health Services Research, 54(2), 346–355. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.13115
Codjoe, L., Barber, S., & Thornicroft, G. (2019). Tackling inequalities: A partnership between Mental Health Services and black faith communities. Journal of Mental Health, 28(3), 225–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2019.1608933
Memon, A., Taylor, K., Mohebati, L. M., Sundin, J., Cooper, M., Scanlon, T., & de Visser, R. (2016). Perceived barriers to accessing mental health services among Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities: A qualitative study in southeast England. BMJ Open, 6(11). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012337
Nelson, T., Shahid, N. N., & Cardemil, E. V. (2020). Do I need to go and see somebody? Black women’s perceptions of help-seeking for depression. Journal of Black Psychology, 46(4), 263–286. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798420931644
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