The Mental Wellness Space

Being Black in America varies greatly, there are shared cultural factors that play a role in helping define mental health and supporting well-being, resiliency and healing. Part of our shared cultural experience is our family connections, values, expression through spirituality or music, reliance on community and religious networks.

However, another part of this shared experience is facing racism, discrimination and inequity that can significantly affect a person’s mental health. Being treated or perceived as “less than” because of the color of your skin can be stressful and even traumatizing. Furthermore, members of the Black community face structural challenges accessing the care and treatment they need.

According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black adults in the U.S. are more likely than white adults to report persistent symptoms of emotional distress, such as sadness, hopelessness and feeling like everything is an effort. 

Black adults living below the poverty line are more than twice as likely to report serious psychological distress as those with more financial security.

Despite the needs, only one in three Black adults who need mental health care receive it. According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Mental Health Facts for African Americans guide, they are also:

• Less likely to receive guideline-consistent care
• Less frequently included in research
• More likely to use emergency rooms or primary care (rather than mental health specialists) 

Barriers To Mental Health Care

Socioeconomic Disparities
Socioeconomic factors can make treatment options less available. In 2018, 11.5% of Black adults in the U.S. had no form of health insurance. The Black community, like other communities of color, are more likely to experience socioeconomic disparities such as exclusion from health, educational, social and economic resources. These disparities may contribute to worse mental health outcomes.

Stigma
Negative attitudes and beliefs towards people who live with mental health conditions is pervasive within the U.S. and can be particularly strong within the Black community. Many people experience shame about having a mental illness and worry that they may be discriminated against due to their condition.

Provider Bias and Inequality of Care
Black people have historically been negatively affected by prejudice and discrimination in the health care system in the US. And, unfortunately, many Black people still have these negative experiences when they attempt to seek treatment. Provider bias, both conscious and unconscious, and a lack of cultural competency can result in misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment. This ultimately can lead to mistrust of mental health professionals and create a barrier for many to engage in treatment.

1 out of 5 women will experience a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder during pregnancy or after childbirth. Also called perinatal emotional complications, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders include conditions like depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder and can occur any time during pregnancy and the first year of parenting. Emotional complications are the most common complication of childbirth.

38% of new mothers of color experience perinatal emotional complications like depression and anxiety. Women of color experience these complications at TWICE the rate of white women.

60% of women of color do not receive any treatment or support services for perinatal emotional complications. Reasons for this include lack of insurance coverage, social and cultural stigma, logistical barriers to services, and lack of culturally appropriate care.

Postpartum Depression(PPD) is a complex mix of physical, emotional, and behavioral changes that happen in some women after birth.   It is linked to chemical, social, and psychological changes that happen when having a baby. The term describes a range of physical and emotional changes that many new mothers experience.  

Your body and mind go through many changes during and after pregnancy. If you feel empty, emotionless, or sad all or most of the time for longer than 2 weeks during or after pregnancy, reach out for help. If you feel like you don’t love or care for your baby, you might have postpartum depression. Treatment for depression, such as therapy or medicine, works and will help you and your baby be as healthy as possible in the future. 

Office of Womens Health:

https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions/postpartum-depression

Postpartum Support International (PSI) has many resources to help families, providers, and communities learn about the emotional and mental health of childbearing families. 

Learn More About Symptoms: http://www.postpartum.net/learn-more/

Find a Provider: https://psidirectory.com/provider-of-color

Resources: For Moms, Families & Providers https://www.postpartum.net/resources/

Here are various directories and networks that have the goal of helping Black people find therapists who are Black, from other marginalized racial groups, or who describe themselves as inclusive. This list is not exhaustive, and some of these resources will be more expansive than others. They also do different levels of vetting for the experts they include. If you find a therapist via one of these sites who seems promising, be sure to do some follow-up searches to learn more about them.

1. Ayana Therapy
2. Black Female Therapists
3. Black Virtual Therapist Network
4. Melanin and Mental Health
5. My Tru Circle (from Black Therapists Rock)
6. Psychology Today
7. Sista Afya’s preferred providers in Chicago
8. The Association of Black Psychologists
9. Therapy for Black Girls
10. Zencare