By: Tanaziona Lucious The month of July is BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) mental health month. In order to fully understand the struggles of these communities, it is important to understand more information about the race and what they may go through. BIPOC month we’ll begin with the African American community, being one of the largest
minorities in America, it was important to collect data and perform surveys. When it comes to addressing mental health issues, the Black community has always been a hard topic to address, but that change that narrative. With many questionnaires and surveys conducted researchers found that:
African Americans who are twice as likely to report a serious psychological distress if they are living below the poverty line.
African Americans are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia.
When African American youth is exposed to violence at an early age 25% has been proven to be at a higher risk of developing PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
The stigma of mental and the black community has always been a challenging one, through one study the found that almost 2/3 of African American believes that having a mental health condition is a sign of being weak, which is not true.
Researchers have found that overtime that the Black community developed Intergenerational Trauma, which is trauma that is passed down to future generations. It causes reproductive cells to change, but also the uterine environment where a fetus is developed. Because of intergenerational trauma many people who have never experienced any type of trauma will still inherit some symptoms that are related to trauma such as anxiety and anger or irritable outbursts.
It is important that when members of the Black Community decide to go seek help with mental health, that they speak to someone who is culturally competent and can offer the best care. It is important to speak to someone who understands and acknowledges the many things a Black person may go through. It is also important that the health professionals educate themselves on their patient’s ethnicity, and as well anything in the media and social world that may be impacting them.
When looking to gain help and better yourself, a person deserves nothing but the best there is. Acknowledging hardships instead of internalizing them causes more stress than taking the initiative to talk to someone.
For more information on symptoms of mental health disorders, you can visit our website, www.Insightclincialtrials.com, or you can call our number 215-526-1843, and speak to one of our associates today.
Sources: https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/black-mental-health#:~:text=Statistics%20tell%20us%20that%20about,of%20non%2DHispanic%20white%20people.
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