Recognizing and Addressing the Disparity in Mental Health Care

Mental health conditions can affect anyone, but whether or not you’ll get the right care and treatment might depend on your race or identity. 

For example, even though mental illness affects all races and demographics similarly, a 2015 study showed that among adults with mental illness, 48% of whites received mental health services, but only 31% of Blacks/Hispanics and 22% of Asians did.

That’s why it’s overdue that we acknowledge and address the disparities in mental health care and why we have Minority Mental Health Awareness Month every July.

From systemic biases to poor cultural competency, there are many reasons why different minority groups don’t receive the same treatment as heterosexual/cisgender/white individuals do. People of color are less likely to take medication or give their children psychiatric medication when needed, yet African Americans are 20% more likely to report psychological distress and those in poverty are 3x more likely. 

LGBTQ+ populations also face a higher risk of developing mental health concerns with:

• 71% reported feeling hopeless for at least two weeks
• 70% reported direct discrimination
• 39% have contemplated suicide recently
• 29% more likely to have memory problems

What’s more, every year the proportion of minorities who have mental illness increases. Read Mental Health America’s 2019 to 2020 numbers comparison here. 

Other barriers include insurance problems, mental illness stigma (often greater in minority populations), language barriers, distrust in the healthcare system, and more. 

To solve this disparity, mental health care providers and institutions have to be more invested in speaking to a wider range of patients. Cultural competency, provider diversity, and compassionate case management would all go a long way to providing more inclusive support that considers different experiences and perspectives. 

Watch videos of courage, culture, and community here.
Explore how mental illness impacts different minority groups here. 
Learn more about racial trauma here. 

All data from the American Psychiatric Association unless otherwise noted.