Mental health myth: Mental illness is the same for people of all races – BlueRidgeNow.com

There are many things that can put one at higher risk for developing symptoms of a mental illness: genetics, substance abuse, trauma, stress.

We are only just beginning to understand how each of these risk factors play into mental health and how they can be mitigated with treatment.

One area of mental health that is currently being studied is how racism affects mental health in people of color. Some studies are showing a correlation between how much racial trauma and the resultant stress affects the mental and physical health of people of color.

In short, studies are showing that the racial trauma people of color experience every day in the U.S. is making them sicker.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, racism, discrimination, and inequity can significantly affect a persons mental health, because they are so stressful and traumatic.

NAMI also states that the experience of mental illness is exacerbated for people of color because they often have more trouble accessing mental health care in the U.S. According to NAMI, this disparity occurs not just because of socioeconomic differences, but also due to cultural stigma of mental illness and healthcare provider biases.

According to Mental Health America, these disparities mean that people of color are more likely to experience chronic and persistent mental health conditions.

If all of this is true, it means that people of color have the odds stacked against them when it comes to mental health. It means that they are more likely to become symptomatic at some point in their lives, and they are less likely to receive proper treatment and have a quick recovery.

They would be more likely to have long-term negative effects from the mental illness, thus they would be impacted on a deeper level than someone who is white. If all of this is proven to be true, it is unacceptable.

Many of you who are reading this are probably wondering how to fix the problem, because it is one that is full of complexities. Many things have to change in order for these disparities to go away.

The stigma surrounding mental illness needs to be removed. People of all colors need to stop equating mental illness with brokenness. Many people with a mental illness are able to receive treatment, learn to overcome symptoms, and live very full lives.

Next, treatment providers (and all other people) need to identify the implicit biases they have, and learn how to rewire their brains to let go of these biases. People in the U.S. need to take a long, hard look at the socioeconomic disparities that exist and how the people who have the least suffer the most due to lack of healthcare, nutrition, and safe housing.

Finally, the systems in place in the U.S. will have to change so that one group is not privileged over another. These changes will not happen overnight, but at Thrive, we believe they must happen.

Thrive is a nonprofit organization that helps people with mental health and housing needs to move from surviving to thriving in the community. Thrive employees provide services to a very diverse population each day and they see firsthand how the experience of mental illness can be different for different groups of people.

People with more money can afford a higher level of care, which often means they will recover more quickly and have a very different experience than someone who has much less money. And people who are able to lower their stress levels and have family/friend support are also more likely to have a more positive experience than those who will continue to live in a high-stress environment.

Thrive staff try hard to provide a safe, nonjudgmental community for clients, but they know they are not perfect. That is why the staff and board are currently working very hard to examine personal biases and learn how to overcome and eliminate them. The staff and board members know that this will take time and effort, but they are willing to try.

What are you doing right now to help in your own way? You could start by identifying your biases. One way to do this is to take a free test on implicit bias from Harvard at https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html.

Once you have identified your biases, you can work to change them. Maybe you could commit to reading a book about racism that might change the way you think about it. There is a list of books at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/books/review/antiracist-reading-list-ibram-x-kendi.html.

You could consider tackling the 21-Day Challenge at https://debbyirving.com/21-day-challenge/ where you can learn something new each day about racial equity using videos, podcasts, and articles.

There are so many ways to learn more about this issue, but you have to begin somewhere. Educating yourself is the first step to making our world a healthier and more equitable place.

Henderson County nonprofit Thrives mission is to help people who are experiencing mental health and housing instability get back on their feet. Find more information at http://thrive4health.org/.

Read more from the original source:
Mental health myth: Mental illness is the same for people of all races - BlueRidgeNow.com