National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and health officials are using it to call attention to some surprising figures.

In many economical thriving countries a lot of problems occur by people who would like to be different or would love to have their dreams become reality.

Issues in Mental Health Nursing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lots of people think the United States of America is the best place to be happy and successful. But that country, like the West-European countries is not the place where many people seem to feel they have a healthy mind.

One in five American adults will battle some sort of mental health issue in their lifetime, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. While that may seem high, the data is even more staggering when it comes to minorities.

Hispanic high school girls are 70 percent more likely than their white counterparts to attempt suicide.

Whites are more than 50 percent more likely than Blacks to receive prescriptions to treat depression and other issues.

Asian women are the leading victims of suicide among senior citizens.

Mental Health Awareness Ribbon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The challenge for mental health professionals trying to curb those statics is overcoming long-held stigmas that have kept certain groups from seeking the help they need.

There are still a lot of stigma’s around mental health. Stigmas, limited access to care, and social and economic stresses are among the factors that keep some minorities from treating or even acknowledging mental illness.

There are multiple things we need to do to bring greater awareness to minority mental health:

1. Build awareness
2. Remember services are difficult to locate
3. Remind clinicians and mental health professionals to be culturally competent
4. Understand that:
   • Many cultures lack knowledge about mental illness or see it as taboo
   • Lack support from their own culture to seek services
   • Do not trust opposite cultures helping them
   • Struggle with gender bias

Read more here or check into this great research article published on the topic.

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