father, son, family

Mental Health

Historically, Black Americans have been and continue to be subjected to dehumanization, violence, and trauma that impact their mental and emotional health. In the African diaspora, language, cultural heritage, and customs were lost forever and had to be recreated and adapted from other cultures. Migration and integration in hopes of a better life and future throughout the 19th and 20th centuries fostered a disconnect to a society based on white European customs and traditions that many Black people in the United States adhered to for acceptance amid institutional, structural, medical, and individual racism. All of which prevails to this day. The lack of cultural understanding many Blacks feel within the health care system, access to and the delivery of care offered, and the overall mistrust of professionals within the mental healthcare systems have led to a myriad of disparities. Black providers with an understanding of compounded issues, such as human and financial losses, stereotypical and monolithic views, police brutality, grief, isolation, and the uncertainty that young and older Black people face, make up a tiny portion of the behavioral healthcare workforce. The mistrust of mental health care systems persists and often leads many Blacks to seek out faith-based options that may or may not be adequately prepared to meet the needs of chronic and persistent mental health conditions instead of episodic conditions. Inequities in mental health care services can only be solved  by those with an understanding of what is needed within Black communities, and individually and through policies and health systems committed to the unique collective and individual needs of Blacks within those communities.

Healing racial trauma must become our priority!