Discussion: Black Mental Health

“Racism is a Public Health Threat”

In July 2024, I had the opportunity to speak to CSG International’s Black Culture Collective, an employee-led DEI group. For National Minority Mental Health Awareness month, I was asked to speak about minority mental health, a topic about which I feel especially passionate as a black therapist. The following information from the presentation highlights some of the most important issues around black mental health.

A Brief History

Though the past couple of decades have brought forth increased understanding of mental and emotional wellbeing, the journey to this more enlightened place has been fraught. Advancements in the fields of science and healthcare often came at the expense of black people and other non-black people of color via medical racism, experimentation, and pathologizing “otherness.”

Current Disparities

Due to the historical treatment of black people by individuals in positions of social power (e.g. doctors, scientists, other providers), as well as ongoing systemic racism, black people experience mental health differently than others. Research shows that black adults are more likely than their white peers to report persistent symptoms of emotional distress and are more likely to be misdiagnosed with a psychotic disorder than mood disorder. Furthermore, black people with mental illness are more likely to be incarcerated than those of any other racial group and are less likely to receive mental health treatment, despite rates of mental illness being similar to those of white people.

Racism is a Public Health Threat

As of April 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) labeled racism as a public health threat. Though this understanding of racism as an issue affecting health may not be news to those on the receiving end of racism, this CDC declaration hopefully brings forth a sense of gravity and urgency for healthcare providers, including those in the mental health field. It is imperative that we move beyond awareness and into action in our work with minority clients.