Mental health is an important part of a person’s well-being. It affects how we think and act and affects all our relationships. However, not all communities have equal access to mental health treatment, especially minorities and underrepresented communities. People of color have difficulty getting decent, culturally competent care. This is termed as mental health care disparity.

What is Meant by Racial Disparities in Mental Health Treatment?

Mental health disparity refers to differences in health, health services, health determinants, and access to excellent care based on race and ethnicity. Studies show that racial and ethnic minorities face these discrepancies persist even after controlling for characteristics such as income, insurance status, age, and symptom expression.

According to research, black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC):

• Have restricted access to mental health care resources.
• Are hesitant to seek assistance.
• Less likely to obtain necessary treatment.
• Have services been ended prematurely.

Minorities with mental illnesses can face challenges like differences in cultural perspectives on mental illness, discrimination, racism, language and communication barriers, and fear of treatment. Due to this reason, people from underrepresented backgrounds often hesitate to reach out for the help they deserve.

Current State of Racial Disparities in Mental Health

In January 2001, the office of the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report, Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity, highlighting the mental health disparities that affect racial and ethnic minorities. The report found that people of color had less access to mental health services, was less likely to receive those services when required, often had poorer quality care, and were underrepresented in mental health research.

People of color were also found to have a higher burden of disability from mental illness. They were more likely to suffer from persistent, chronic, and highly debilitating depression that interfered with their daily lives than whites because they often received less and lower quality care.

Two decades later, not much has changed.

Even today, people of color and minorities face the same discrepancies regarding access to mental health care. Service providers frequently apply the same cultural lens to minorities as non-minorities. As a result, it hampers mutual understanding and result in wrong diagnoses. Miscommunication is especially likely for people who speak a foreign language at home.

Drivers of Disparities

Many different factors drive racial disparity in mental health treatment.

Compared to whites, many foreign-born or US-born African-Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Latinos are uninsured. These same minority groups frequently have lower education and income levels than other groups (including Asian Americans), contributing to disparities in mental health care. Still, even controlling for income and education level, these groups face greater access barriers and poorer treatment.

Another barrier is the cultural stigma surrounding mental health care which prevents people from seeking care. According to some studies, mental illness stigma is more prevalent among racial and ethnic minorities. Furthermore, some racial and ethnic groups may have different perspectives on mental illness than white individuals. Some providers even believe people of color won’t take their prescribed medicines, so they don’t offer them.

Patients’ experiences with the mental health care system also significantly influence inequities, preventing people of color from seeking treatment.

For example, research has found that women of color are less likely to seek care if they suffer from postpartum depression than white women.

Another concern is a lack of diversity in mental health studies. Minorities of color continue to be underrepresented in clinical research. Greater study into what treatments work best for communities of color is also needed, as is greater financing for researchers of color.

What the Future Holds

Even though not much progress has been made in the last few years, researchers are hopeful. President Biden outlined a strategyto address the nation’s mental health epidemic. And, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people are discussing mental health.

The Surgeon General documented the hurdles faced by ethnic minority groups when getting treatment in 2001. A subsequent study backed up these conclusions, forming the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health in 2003. Since then, the Institute of Medicine, the Federal Collaborative for Health Disparities Research, and the National Institute of Health (NIH) have all made mental health disparities a research priority.

These organizations, together with the American Psychological Association and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), have made similar suggestions regarding what needs to be done to reduce disparities in minority mental health in the United States. These suggestions include greater emphasis on culturally competent services, which include and effectively respond to persons for whom English is a second language, as well as varied traditions, histories, values, and beliefs.

It was also suggested to increase awareness of and counteract the stigma associated with mental illness in minority communities. An increase in research activities investigating the relationship and interaction of minority identity, status, and cultural backgrounds was also recommended.

Conclusions

Racial or ethnic minorities frequently have poor mental health outcomes due to various issues. These issues include, lack of access to high-quality mental health care services, the cultural stigma associated with mental health treatment, discrimination, and an overall lack of information about mental health.

Despite major national organizations’ vows over the last decade to prioritize and eliminate mental health disparities, progress has been slow. Continued emphasis on enhancing culturally competent care, as well as further research and programs combating mental health stigma in minority populations, are all critical steps toward eliminating mental health disparities.