Expanding Mental Health Access to Underrepresented Communities

Mental Health America’s theme — “Beyond the Numbers”—highlights the rich histories of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) communities that go beyond statistics, bringing attention to their nuanced and unique struggles. As a community of mental health allies, we can advocate for underrepresented communities in a way that is respectful and compassionate of what has come before.

When discussing BIPOC communities in 2022, our language has greatly developed and improved since 2008. Though the terms “minority” and “marginalized” are still frequently used in academic spaces, we have a responsibility to call out the effect of this harmful language. They emphasize quantity over quality and remove the personhood of the individuals in these communities.

When looking at the numbers, one thing is unmistakable. BIPOC communities utilize mental health services significantly less than others for several reasons. Some of these can be structural, cultural, or economic including:

●?????provider discrimination

●?????lack of adequate health insurance

●?????high costs

●?????limited access to quality care (regarding distance and time)

●?????stigma

●?????inequalities in the healthcare system

The lack of use of mental health services can mistakenly suggest that these communities simply do not suffer as greatly from mental health disorders, or that they do not need as much support when they may actually need more to deal with unique life circumstances that reduce access to care. While studies may show a lower prevalence of mental health disorders in underrepresented communities, their long-lasting effects are much greater.

According to MHA (Mental Health America):

●?????Depression is the most commonly reported condition across BIPOC.

●?????Black adults are 20% more likely to report serious psychological distress than adult Whites.

●?????Although rates of depression are lower in Black people (24.6%) and Hispanic people (19.6%) than in White people (34.7%), depression in Blacks and Hispanics is likely to be more persistent.

●?????People who identify as being two or more races (24.9%) are most likely to report any mental illness within the past year than any other race/ethnic group.

●?????Native and Indigenous American adults have the highest reported rate of mental illnesses of any single race identifying group.

NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) highlights how race, identity and cultural differences play a role in experiencing mental health conditions. For example, Black adults in the United States are more likely than White adults to report persistent symptoms of emotional distress. Despite the needs, only one in three Black adults who need mental health care receive it, due to significant barriers to mental health care such as socioeconomic factors.

When we think about our part, I can’t help but wonder how we are aiding or working against some of these structural, cultural and socioeconomic disparities, and saying “This isn’t working.” Under-resourced facilities, discrimination, misdiagnosing, health insurance inequities and a lack of affordable, accessible mental health care have all played a detrimental role in racial and ethnic disparity in mental health. We have an ongoing call to action to do away with these harmful hurdles that have historically and systemically inhibited some from BIPOC communities to even begin to seek support. Together, not alone, that is how we heal.

NeuroStar advocates for efforts to end the stigma surrounding mental health disorders and services and to help remove the hurdles. We want to be a force for change so people from communities who have long suffered in silence can begin to feel heard, supported and understood on our way to a better tomorrow.

Visit NeuroStar online to learn about the benefits of NeuroStar? Advanced Therapy for Mental Health, a non-drug, non-invasive treatment for adults with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and/or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Our vision is to be a vital partner to transform neuro health for both practitioners and patients.

There should be no variation of care when it comes to mental health--care is care.

#NeuroStarCares #NeuroStar #BIPOCMentalHealth #BIPOCMentalHealthAwareness #DepressionIsolates #NeuroStarConnects