July is BIPOC Mental Health Month, also known as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s a time to recognize the unique mental health strengths and barriers faced by Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

Numbers and statistics can help us understand the bigger picture. They show that BIPOC communities continue not to get the mental health treatment they need and deserve. This isn’t because of personal weakness or lack of resilience. Almost all of these challenges are connected to systemic barriers, including racism, discrimination, lack of culturally responsive care, cost, stigma, and language barriers.

If you are BIPOC and you’re struggling with your mental health, support is out there (even if, unfortunately, these barriers can make it harder to access). You deserve mental health care that respects the fullness of your identity and lived experience.

Here are some BIPOC mental health statistics that everyone should know.

The U.S. psychology workforce is 80% white and only 5% black.

Recent workforce data show that the psychology field still does not reflect the diversity of the people it serves. About 80% of active psychologists identify as white. Only about 5% identify as Black.

A therapist doesn’t necessarily need to share every part of your identity to provide good care. But people are more likely to feel safe opening up when their provider understands their experiences and cultural background. And as a BIPOC individual, it’s understandable to have a harder time feeling safe with white providers.

A lack of diversity in the mental health workforce can also make it harder for people to find providers who speak their language. This can become a major barrier to treatment access, especially for immigrant populations.

Black adults with mental health concerns are less likely to receive treatment than white adults.

One analysis found that in 2022, only 16% of Black adults reported receiving counseling or prescription medication for mental health in the past year.

This doesn’t mean Black adults don’t want or need mental health support. Many barriers can get in the way, including cost, not enough providers who can provide quality care, lack of insurance coverage, stigma, and past negative experiences with biased or culturally insensitive care. Many Black individuals may also have an understandable mistrust of the U.S. medical system, which has continuously mistreated them.

Mixed-race people are the racial group most likely to report mental health challenges.

Multiracial adults report the highest rate of mental health concerns compared with any other racial group. Over 35% of multiracial adults had a mental health condition within the past year. Research has found that multiracial people often experience worse mental health outcomes compared with monoracial groups.

There are many possible reasons for this. Mixed-race people may experience racism, colorism, an invalidation of their identity, family pressure, or the feeling of being treated as “not enough” of one identity or another. Many feel rejection from all sides or don’t know where they belong. Some may also feel unseen in mental health conversations that treat racial identity as one-dimensional.

Indigenous Americans experience the highest suicide rates in the U.S.

American Indian and Alaska Native people consistently experience the highest suicide rates of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. In 2022, AI/AN people were 91% more likely to die by suicide than the U.S. population overall.

Indigenous adults also report high rates of serious thoughts of suicide. Mental Health America reports that 8.5% of Indigenous adults had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, compared with 4.8% of the overall U.S. population.

These statistics are heartbreaking. And clearly, they don’t reflect anything inherent about this community. These rates have to do with many complex and overlapping stressors, including historical trauma, loss of land and culture, discrimination, underfunded health systems, poverty, violence, and limited access to culturally grounded mental health care.

But the indigenous community also has so many protective factors. Community connection, cultural identity, language, spirituality, family support, and Indigenous-led mental health programs can all play an important role in healing and suicide prevention. The Western model of medicine isn’t the only valid form of support.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 988 for immediate support. If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

More than 2 in 5 Black adults report discrimination as a significant source of stress.

The American Psychological Association has reported that more than 40% of Black adults say racial discrimination is a significant source of stress in their lives.

Discrimination is not “just stress,” and no one should be expected to deal with it. Research has linked racism and racial discrimination to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It can also lead to anxiety, depression, and poorer overall health.

Discrimination is a real source of psychological harm that has very real consequences.

Asian Americans are the racial group least likely to receive mental health treatment.

Asian American adults are the racial group least likely to seek and receive mental health treatment in the U.S. Asian American adults are 45% less likely than U.S. adults overall to have received mental health treatment in the past year.

That doesn’t always mean there is less need. Yes, some reports show that Asian Americans are also less likely to report living with a mental health condition. But lower reported rates can also reflect underdiagnosis and underreporting due to stigma (belief that these problems should stay within the family), language barriers, and the lack of culturally responsive providers.

The Asian American community is also incredibly diverse. Experiences can vary widely by things like ethnicity, immigration history, language, religion, family structure, income, and generation. Mental health care needs to reflect that diversity instead of treating Asian Americans as one single group.

Mental health resources for BIPOC

If you are looking for culturally responsive mental health support, these resources may be a helpful place to start.

  • Mental Health America’s BIPOC Mental Health Resource Center offers education, tools, and resource lists for BIPOC communities.
  • Inclusive Therapists has a directory of providers focused on culturally responsive and identity-affirming care for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, and disabled communities.
  • Therapy for Black Girls is a safe online space that offers a therapist directory and mental health resources for Black women and girls.
  • Latinx Therapy is a directory of Latinx therapists, but they also have a podcast and culturally affirming mental health resources for the Latine community.
  • Asian Mental Health Collective offers an Asian therapist directory, support resources, and free therapy funds.
  • The National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network works to increase access to healing resources for queer and trans people of color. They have a therapist directory as well as community resources.
  • We R Native is a comprehensive health resource for Native youth, by Native youth. It offers culturally relevant resources on mental health, relationships, identity, culture, and wellbeing.

What to do if discrimination is affecting your mental health at work

If racial discrimination at work is affecting your mental health, it can be hard to know what to do next. You probably feel angry, anxious, numb, and exhausted. You might not be sure if speaking up will make things even worse. You shouldn’t have to be going through this.

Here are a few steps to take if you are a BIPOC employee and workplace mistreatment is affecting your mental health.

  • Write down what’s happening as soon as you can. Include specific events and situations, including the date, time, location, people involved, what was said or done, and any witnesses. It helps to leave a paper trail.
  • Save emails, messages, performance notes, or other records that may be relevant.
  • Notice and write down how it’s affecting your mental health. This might include sleep problems, dread before work, panic symptoms, difficulty concentrating, irritability, or feeling emotionally drained after interactions. Report these symptoms to a medical provider if you feel safe doing so.
  • Talk with someone you trust. This could be a friend, family member, therapist, mentor, or peer support space. It should be someone who won’t dismiss what you’re going through. Connecting to your community can help you heal. The legal and practical steps are one component, but you also need to take care of yourself emotionally.
  • Use your EAP if you have one. An Employee Assistance Program can give you a confidential place to talk through what’s happening and weigh your options for next steps.
  • Report the discrimination if you feel safe to do so. You can talk with a manager, HR, union representative, or another designated workplace leader. The decision to report it or not is entirely up to you.
  • Ask for specific support and changes. This may include mediation, a different reporting structure or manager, time away from a harmful environment, or new workplace policies.
  • Get legal advice if needed. A therapist or EAP can support your mental health, but they can’t replace legal guidance if your rights have been violated.

Don’t wait until you’re in crisis to ask for support. Discrimination wears you down over time and has very real psychological consequences.

We hope that spreading these statistics can help create awareness. But awareness is only the beginning. And no statistic can fully capture the nuance and diversity of BIPOC mental health, including both the challenges people face and the strength, beauty, and support that can come from our cultures and communities.  We all have a role to play in making mental health care more accessible, culturally responsive, and safe for BIPOC individuals.

MINES & Associates is here to support all employees and organizations with mental health resources, workplace wellbeing support, and confidential EAP services.

 

To your wellbeing,
The MINES Team