By Mia Simmons.
Mental health. A topic that has recently come out of the shadows of society. Discussed and debated by all people and places, from schools to workplaces to legal offices. Mental health discussions have changed the way many people approach situations and people over time, but let’s be real, it still has a big stigma in many BIPOC communities.
Many BIPOC’s struggle from higher rates of mental illnesses compared to their white counterparts. This disparity is mainly due to the lack of mental education, medical resources and cultural stigma against mental health in many BIPOC dominated communities. Being an African American woman myself and being a part of the BIPOC community, it is a subject that many African Americans and others of African ancestry fail to teach or even speak about. Carrying generational grief, trauma and burdens can slowly but surely curate mental health challenges in the black youth. The same goes for those of Indegenious backgrounds, Hispanic/Latino, East and South Asians and Middle Eastern people. Many of these groups carry burdens from past generations that are expected to be fixed by the youth. According to an APA report, more than 91% of Generation Z, born from 1997 to 2015, are depressed or have had some form of stress related anxiety due to our surroundings and social environment.
Many BIPOC live in poorly funded areas and school districts that do not have the proper means to teach their students about mental health awareness in school curriculums. About 34.5% of Black and Hispanics live below the poverty line in the United States. This once again, disproportionately hurts the youth in these groups, causing them to not properly learn about mental health and its challenges. It is similar to the case with many Native Americans living in the United States as well, with 30% living on reservations, Natives are not guaranteed the proper schooling and healthcare. These are just a few examples of how mental health can hurt minority communities due to their lack of resources, compared to others.
Given the context, how can you and I help?? TALK!!! Talk to one another, speak to your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, anyone! Speaking out will help with your frustrations and understand the burdens of the past generation, either socially or personally. Another way to help is to seek out a therapist in your area. Therapists are here to help and aid you and others in your mental health journey. It is your choice to choose if you would like a therapist that is of your same race and ethnicity to better understand and help you with your problem. The next way you could help is to speak to the lawmakers in your area, Governor, Mayor, City Council, School Superintendent etc. Most likely if you bring the problems and stats to these desired lawmakers, they are able to further their help to you and others suffering with various forms of mental health and bring social awareness to the said problem.
Remember you are not alone, mental health affects everyone in many different ways, PLEASE talk and bring AWARENESS.