BIPOC Mental Health Month Kick-Off

Stephanie Weatherly, DNP, PMH RN-BC, FACHE

Chief Clinical Officer

July 1, 2021

Today kicks off BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Mental Health Month. Health disparity continues to impact the BIPOC communities at much higher rates than white communities. Continued focus on reducing this disparity as mental health providers are our responsibility. Each week, I will highlight different groups to share their communities’ struggles and techniques for supporting change.

According to the US HHS Office of Minority Health:

Mental and Behavioral Health - African Americans

• In 2019, suicide was the second leading cause of death for blacks or African Americans, ages 15 to 24.
• The death rate from suicide for black or African American men was four times greater than for African American women in 2018.
• The overall suicide rate for black or African Americans was 60 percent lower than that of the non-Hispanic white population in 2018.
• Black females, grades 9–12, were 60 percent more likely to attempt suicide in 2019 than non-Hispanic white females of the same age.
• Poverty level affects mental health status. Black or African Americans living below the poverty level are twice as likely to report serious psychological distress compared to those over twice the poverty level.
• A report from the U.S. Surgeon General found that from 1980 – 1995, the suicide rate among African Americans ages 10 to 14 increased 233 percent compared to 120 percent of non-Hispanic whites.

What can we do to help reduce these disparities? (according to NAMI):

Promoting a Culture of Equity and Inclusion

• Be an advocate when there is an opportunity to speak out on behalf of mental health for underrepresented groups and communities.
• Share information you’ve learned about what forms quality care from a cultural and equity lens.
• Show compassion and seek to understand the experience of individuals with identities different from your own.
• Do not assume that low treatment rates by cultural or social group members are due to a lack of effort in seeking care. Instead, consider any underlying challenges — individuals are less likely to seek help or engage in treatment if they cannot find a provider they can trust, who understands their identity and will treat them with dignity and respect.

More to come in the following weeks; looking forward to learning more about reducing health disparities and advocating for the underserved. Thank you for all you do to help so many!