by Melanie Dallas, LPC
For the past couple years as we’ve recognized Black History Month in February, I have written articles celebrating the accomplishments of Black pioneers in mental health – people such as Dr. Joseph L. White, who developed the first-ever strengths-based evaluation of Black culture; Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark, who studied the effects of discrimination and racial identity on the psychology of Black Americans; and Lois Curtis, a Georgia woman with mental illness and cognitive impairment who fought all the way to the Supreme Court for the right to live in her community rather than an institution – and won.
But there is another, more complex story at the intersection of Black history and mental health, one that does not speak to a proud legacy. It is the history of racism in America. And even if you believe we have moved past that (which is debatable), there is no denying racism has impacted the mental health of generations of Black Americans, and continues to today.
Deborah Alexander, a certified substance use counselor and program manager at Highland Rivers who is Black, says she’s heard many reasons African Americans may struggle with mental health, and why they may be reluctant to seek treatment.
“I think a big issue for the African American community is poverty, because poverty can bring on depression, hopelessness, feelings of worthlessness,” Deborah says. “But at the same time, some African Americans are raised not to air their problems, sort of ‘what happens in this house stays in this house.’ There is some mistrust of the healthcare system, and others feel that healthcare providers are not culturally competent.”
There are other reasons as well: Blacks are almost twice as likely to be uninsured as Whites, while the lack of Black therapists – only 2% of U.S. psychologists are Black – may cause some African Americans to feel they are unlikely to find a therapist who truly understands their challenges….
Read the full article here
