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Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Breaking Mental Health Barriers in Communities of Color

A woman of color smiling slightly on a mustard yellow background with black text that reads "breaking mental health barriers in communities of color" and a subscript that reads "www.bientacounseling.com"

Mental health is a crucial aspect of overall well-being that impacts everyone, regardless of their race or background. The obstacles to seeking mental health support can be challenging for any individual. However, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) face additional obstacles that can further prevent them from getting the support they need.


Mental health for BIPOC individuals can be more layered due to lived experiences and being culturally overlooked and stigmatized. This oversight affects BIPOC individuals as well as their families and the communities they live in. These obstacles must be acknowledged to make a new way forward in mental health for those in the BIPOC community.


Understanding the Challenges

The BIPOC community faces unique challenges intertwined with mental health struggles. Systemic racism, discrimination, trauma, and historical trauma can lead to heightened stress, anxiety, and depression among individuals in these communities. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, mental health illnesses have the highest prevalence among multi-racial individuals (36.7% of the population), followed by Caucasians (24.4%), Hispanics (21.4%), African Americans (19.7%), and Native Americans (19.6%).


The disparity is evident in the treatment rates for mental illness within BIPOC populations. Among Caucasian individuals, 71.4% of those diagnosed with a mental health illness received treatment, compared to just over half of the population for Hispanics (54.8%) and African Americans (52.3%). Despite having the highest prevalence of mental illness, multiracial individuals also have the highest treatment rates (73.9%). Data on treatment rates for Native American populations were not available.


Social determinants such as access to healthcare, underinsurance, lack of diversity among providers, lack of culturally competent providers, economic disparities, and cultural stigma further compound the barriers to seeking help (American Psychiatric Association). The impact of these factors varies based on geographical location and the cultural narrative within an individual's community. However, these factors shape individuals and future generations, especially when mental health issues are not addressed.


Challenging Society’s Narrative

In my family, I have seen the positive change that comes from generations before me challenging society's narratives around race. The negative narratives that are told to us as people of color have not been as strong in my life as it has been in my grandmother’s, or my father’s, or his siblings because of the work they did before me. 


As a biracial family (Hispanic/Caucasian), myself and my family have had to challenge societal narratives and overcome barriers. My Hispanic grandmother experienced racism, discrimination, and other traumas as a first-generation immigrant woman seeking higher education in the medical field during the 1950s. Her children - my dad and his siblings - also experienced racism, discrimination, and trauma as a result of being biracial and growing up in the South. And those negative experiences continued on throughout their adulthood. As a biracial person whose physical appearance favors my Hispanic heritage, I also have experiences that tell me I am less of a person because of my race. But, if we choose to live in light of the narrative we are told things will not change. 


Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” The giant’s shoulders I am standing on are the generations that went before me, actively challenging the negative narratives surrounding our worth as humans as defined by race. As a mother of multiracial children (Hispanic, Native American, and Caucasian), I know the societal narrative that is told to them will be different than the one I experienced because they will be standing on the shoulders of many generations of giants. 


Standing on their shoulders: Healing and Hope

While I will be the first to say the challenges BIPOC communities face in seeking mental health are real, each individual's story will be different. Individuals may not feel they have past generations of giants to encourage or support them, but they can be that giant for future generations. It is our responsibility to engage in our own mental health and address how societal narratives have shaped us, so future generations can look back and see only giants standing behind them saying ‘your worth is not defined by your race.’ We are responsible for how our story shapes us and future generations. 

If you need support on your mental health journey I would love to help; please contact me if you’d like someone to walk alongside you in healing, growing, and challenging false narratives.


Sources


“Mental Illness.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Sept. 2024, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness#:~:text=Mental%20illnesses%20are%20common%20in,(52.9%20million%20in%202020). 

 
 
 

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