Bebe Moore Campbell founded the formally known National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month; it was created to bring awareness to the mental health struggles of underrepresented populations in the United States. Bebe began her journey when her daughter had a mental illness, and the system prevented her from getting the help she needed. The language “minority” created controversy among the community, and so recently the month was renamed to Blacks, Indigenous People, and People of Color (BIPOC) Mental Health Awareness Month. The term highlights the mental health challenges of oppressed racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Black, Indigenous People, People of Color continue to experience a wide range of discrimination, oppression, and inequality entrenched in the history and systems of America as well as intergenerational trauma from the centuries of abuse. Furthermore, cultural incompetence of health care providers likely contributes to underdiagnosis and/or misdiagnosis of mental illness in BIPOC leading to lack of sufficient mental health care.

BIPOC emphasizes that not all People of Color have the same experience, especially when it comes to legislation and systemic oppression. Respectively it separates the two essential groups, Black and Indigenous People, to explain the specific injustices experienced by those two populations, and other people of color may not have necessarily experienced when it comes to systemic racism and oppression. BIPOC wants to phase out the term “one size fits all” language especially in race, power, and privilege. It is imperative to use language (abbreviations and acronyms) that are respectful and precise and not intended to show prejudice. At the same time, adapting to the ways, people describe themselves and their communities.

Strength in Communities is the theme for year 2021. It focuses on BIPOC queer and transgender (QTBIPOC) people. BIPOC and QTBIPOC have developed system supports to fill the gaps within the oppressive world of the healthcare system.  The support system is in community care, self-directed care, cultural care. Strength in Communities explains that these types of care are vital for their mental health.

For more information about BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month as well as resources please visit https://mhanational.org/.

If you need mental health crisis support Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor from Crisis Text Line. VSC’s 24/7 crisis helpline is always available to those in Central Florida who have experienced a crime, trauma, or sexual assault and need immediate assistance.

There are multiple suicide hotlines as well as warmlines for those who just need support. Visit here for Central Florida specific resources: https://www.mhacf.org/community-crisis-suicide-services/

For warmlines by area visit the list here: https://screening.mhanational.org/content/need-talk-someone-warmlines/

I began as a volunteer with the Victim Service Center over a year ago and wrote the blogpost for 2019’s Minority Mental Health Awareness month (available by viewing VSC’s blog page). While so much has changed in this past year, so little has not changed. The further the year 2020 advances, between the COVID-19 pandemic and protests for racial equality occurring across all 50 states and around the world, the further the need for special recognition of mental health needs for minority populations, especially for BIPOC populations, comes more and more into mainstream focus.

Here’s what hasn’t changed:

The specific challenges in terms of understanding, resources, and access for minority populations—which includes racial, ethnic, economic, sexual/affectual, religious, gender, and disability status identities— have always existed in providing mental health care. While the vast majority of mental health care professionals (counselors, social workers, nurses, doctors, psychiatrists) have an explicit stance of wanting to further advance our understanding of cultural diversity in our training programs and professional associations, this is an easier task said than done. The realities of being socialized within a culture that prioritizes the needs of the White, Christian, middle-class, able-bodied, heterosexual, and cisgender people means that our mainstream understanding of mental health and psychological conditions are largely the result of our understandings of these populations. Training programs and professional organizations have dedicated to changing this norm over the past few decades through coursework, research, and ongoing educational requirements for professionals dedicated to furthering the mental healthcare field’s way of conceptualizing standards of health and wellbeing.

Despite the field’s good intentions and efforts, disparities in mental healthcare for minority clients still exists. This is the result of lack of financial access, lack of appointment flexibility, lack of training for healthcare providers holding a dominant identity for working with minority clients, and a gap in professional understanding of the presentation of symptoms in minority clients.

The status of minority mental health:

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the CDC, feelings of anxiety or other symptoms of stress caused by a pandemic or other crisis may be stronger in some racial and ethnic minority groups.
Outside of the pressures of coping with a global pandemic with the potential associated grief through death, loss of community, isolation, unemployment, or other lack of support, health practitioners are less able to give accurate diagnosis or adequate treatment for clients who are members of minority populations (see data gathered from the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Mental Health for more details).

In general, racial and sexual minority groups report higher levels of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation or completed suicides, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental health concerns. Cultural and societal oppression may lead to feeling unsafe or other feelings including shame, isolation, anxiety, and depression, which negatively impact an individual’s overall well-being and deplete an individual’s coping mechanisms in times of stress or crisis.

Barriers to seeking mental health care:

Even though treatment exists and healing is possible, there are several barriers to accessing mental health care. These barriers include:
• Lack of access to culturally competent, stigma-free mental health diagnosis and treatment
• Underutilizing mental health services and early termination of treatment (which may be the result of poor therapeutic alliance formed by the therapist)
• Financial cost or lack of insurance
• Social stigma shaming people who live with mental illness
• Office hours and location of treatment

For LGBTQ+ clients, there are additional concerns about experiencing homophobia or transphobia in the counseling relationship or a fear of being “outed” to family or insurance companies through the course of treatment. For clients living with a disability(ies), they may fear that the therapist will not understand or work with their disability, thereby discrediting an important element of their reality living in an ableist society.

For racial/ethnic minorities, there may be additional cultural barriers and cultural stigma impacting a person’s help-seeking behavior. These include:
• Conceptualization about the causes and cures of mental illness. For example:
• Some Asian cultures see no distinction between the physical and the mental. The “psyche and soma” are one in the same.
• Asian, Hispanic, and African American cultures may believe that mental illness can be treated through willpower and self-control rather than through an external helper like a counselor
• Cultural beliefs about seeking help. Mental illness is even more stigmatized in racial minority communities. For example:
• Asian Americans may be concerned about the “loss of face,” or social image necessary for group cohesion, if a person acknowledges a need for help outside the family or group.
• Mistrust of the mental health system because of injustices the field of psychology has done to racial minorities in the past, such as misdiagnoses, assessments based on White norms, and unethical research methods
• Therapy’s traditional focus on the individual’s thoughts and feelings goes against collectivist cultures’ focus on the group and family functioning. It may be harder to connect with an outsider (the therapist) about family or group dysfunction
• Language barriers (i.e., non-English speakers)

The structure of the mental health service field lacks an adequate number of culturally appropriate/sensitive services or bilingual and bicultural service providers, but most training programs now require specific courses in multicultural counseling to improve the field. If you are a member of a minority community, you deserve to receive treatment that works with—not against—your identity and your cultural values, norms, and expectations.

Here’s what has changed:

White supremacy and its associated systems of oppression (sexism, homophobia, ableism, etc) have always existed in America. Health disparities between advantaged and disenfranchised populations have always existed in America. With the COVID-19 pandemic, these realities were brought into focus when schools closed, unemployment increased, and hospitalizations increased for all Americans. We saw in real time how the intersection of identities—and therefore the intersections of structures of power which complicate access to resources like generational wealth and adequate health insurance—created very different experiences of the same pandemic in America.

And then George Floyd was murdered. And Breonna Taylor. And Brayla Stone. We learned about Elijah McClain. We remembered Sandra Bland and Tamir Rice and Trayvon Martin and too many more names and stories associated with violence and tragedy. America is once again reminded of the racial disparities which define the quality of life between White Americans and Black, Indigenous, and other people of color in America. While racial discrimination, rooted in the institution of White supremacy, are by no means new (nor the public health problem of police officers being more likely to kill Black men), the conditions of the pandemic (the very pandemic which is more likely to kill BIPOC!) put these issues to the forefront of the American consciousness. From where I sit as a White, middle-class, cisgender therapist, I see the nation and the mental health field itself reckoning with the realities of prejudice and discrimination enacted on the individual and the systemic levels in our personal and professional lives.

What has changed is the momentum of these movements for racial, economic, healthcare, environmental justice that is inclusive of the needs of LGBTQ+ and disabled peoples. This momentum must continue and must grow even stronger in order to accomplish the tasks we are charged with in making the world a better, safer, and healthier place to live. The need to focus on minority mental health care has never been stronger.

The Victim Service Center is here to help.

It is an unfortunate reality that chances of victimization are elevated for members of a minority community, be it from assault, abuse, molestation, hate crime, and other trauma that comes from being in a vulnerable position in society.

With Master’s-level trained advocates and therapists providing services, the Victim Service Center is dedicated to promoting minority mental health through direct service and advocacy. By providing free services to any victim or a violent crime or traumatic experience, VSC is cognizant of the financial burden that impacts an individual’s ability to heal. Additionally, we are proud to staff multiple bilingual victim advocates and therapists to recognize the needs of Spanish-speaking populations and are able to work with any language need through translation services. Through a partnership with the Zebra Coalition, we are also proud to staff an advocate specifically dedicated to working with LGBTQ+ clients, though any of our advocates and staff are ready and able to work with any client seeking services.

If you are ready to embark on your journey towards healing, call our office at 407-254-9415 to set up an appointment. If you or a loved one is currently experiencing a crisis related to victimization, you can reach a crisis counselor immediately on our 24/7 hotline at 407-500-HEAL.

With the Black Lives Matter movement and protests surrounding police brutality happening around the world, we decided to open a dialogue about Transgenerational Trauma in the Black Community for our Podcast this week.

On this episode Emilie Mitchell, VSC Education Coordinator, is joined by two recent Rollins College Mental Health Counseling Program graduates: mental health advocate and anti-racism educator Michelle Ilugbusi and former VSC therapy intern and volunteer Sarah Moore.

You can listen to our podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4OLt2V89FI&t=6s

You can also listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from!

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Trigger Warning: In this podcast we will be discussing sensitive topics such as Sexual Assault. It’s important to take care of yourself while listening. Some suggestions are listening while you’re in a healthy head space or knowing who you can reach out to if you become upset. Our 24/7 helpline for crisis calls based out of Central Florida is 407 500 HEAL. By contacting the National Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 you can get support and learn about your local resources. There is always someone ready to help.

By Sarah, Rollins College Clinical Mental Health Counseling Graduate Student

With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, it may seem redundant or confusing to have an additional campaign for Minority Mental Health Awareness in July. The unfortunate reality is that this emphasis on minority mental health is necessary because of the pervasive influence that systemic oppression, stereotyping, and stigma have on well-being and access to mental health resources for various minority groups.

Who is a minority?

A minority identity is one of the many identities a single person holds and typically describes any identity that is not part of the dominant culture. That is, any identity that is not White, cisgender, male, heterosexual, middle-upper class, Christian, and able-bodied. Minority Mental Health Awareness is not meant to imply that people with dominant identities do not experience mental distress, trauma, and mental illness but to acknowledge that extra care and attention must be granted to promoting health for people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, non-Christian religious/spiritual beliefs, and people from disadvantaged socioeconomic statuses.

Why does minority mental health matter?

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA),

• Over 70% of Black/African American adolescents with a major depressive episode did not receive treatment for their condition
• Almost 25% of adolescents with a major depressive episode in the past year were Hispanic/Latino
• Asian American adults were less likely to use mental health services than any other racial/ethnic group
• In the past year, 1 in 10 American Indian or Alaska Native young adults had serious thoughts of suicide
• In the past year, 1 in 7 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults had a diagnosable mental illness (source)

In general, racial and sexual minority groups report higher levels of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental health concerns. Cultural and societal oppression may lead to feeling unsafe or other feelings including shame, isolation, anxiety, and depression, which negatively impact an individual’s overall well-being and deplete an individual’s coping mechanisms in times of stress or crisis.

Barriers to seeking mental health care:

Even though treatment exists and healing is possible, there are several barriers to accessing mental health care. These barriers include:

• Lack of awareness or knowledge of available resources
• Underutilizing mental health services and early termination of treatment
• Financial cost or lack of insurance
• Social stigma shaming people who live with mental illness
• Office hours and location of treatment

For LGBTQ+ clients, there are additional concerns about experiencing homophobia or transphobia in the counseling relationship or a fear of being “outed” through the course of treatment. For clients living with a disability(ies), they may fear that the therapist will not understand or work with their disability.

For racial/ethnic minorities, there may be additional cultural barriers and cultural stigma impacting a person’s help-seeking behavior. These include:

• Conceptualization about the causes and cures of mental illness. For example:
  • Some Asian cultures see no distinction between the physical and the mental. The “psyche and soma” are one in the same.
  • Asian, Hispanic, and African American cultures may believe that mental illness can be treated through willpower and self-control rather than through an external helper like a counselor
• Cultural beliefs about seeking help. Mental illness is even more stigmatized in racial minority communities. For example:
  • Asian Americans may be concerned about the “loss of face,” or social image necessary for group cohesion, if a person acknowledges a need for help outside the family or group.
• Mistrust of the mental health system because of injustices the field of psychology has done to racial minorities in the past, such as misdiagnoses, assessments based on White norms, and unethical research methods
• Therapy’s traditional focus on the individual’s thoughts and feelings goes against collectivist cultures’ focus on the group and family functioning. It may be harder to connect with an outsider (the therapist) about family or group dysfunction
• Language barriers (i.e., non-English speakers)

The structure of the mental health service field lacks an adequate number of culturally appropriate/sensitive services or bilingual and bicultural service providers, but most training programs now require specific courses in multicultural counseling to improve the field.  If you are a member of a minority community, you deserve to receive treatment that works with—not against—your identity and your cultural values, norms, and expectations.

The Victim Service Center is here to help.

It is an unfortunate reality that chances of victimization are elevated for members of a minority community, be it from assault, abuse, molestation, hate crime, and other trauma that comes from being in a vulnerable position in society.

With Master’s-level trained advocates and therapists providing services, the Victim Service Center is dedicated to promoting minority mental health through direct service and advocacy. By providing free services to any victim or a violent crime or traumatic experience, VSC is cognizant of the financial burden that impacts an individual’s ability to heal. Additionally, we are proud to staff multiple bilingual victim advocates and therapists to recognize the needs of Spanish-speaking populations and are able to work with any language need through translation services. Through a partnership with the Zebra Coalition, we are also proud to staff an advocate specifically dedicated to working with LGBTQ+ clients, though any of our advocates and staff are ready and able to work with any client seeking services.

If you are ready to embark on your journey towards healing, call our office at 407-254-9415 to set up an appointment. If you or a loved one is currently experiencing a crisis related to victimization, you can reach a crisis counselor immediately on our 24/7 hotline at 407-500-HEAL.

Additional references:

https://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/infographic-minority-mental-health

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3574791/

https://www.nctsn.org/resources/public-awareness/national-minority-mental-health-awareness-month

https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/content.aspx?ID=9447