Written by: Melissa Enoch, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
National Minority Mental Health Month, observed each July to bring awareness to the unique struggles that racial and ethnic minority community face regarding mental illness in the United States. Mental Health America understands that mental health issues may need to be addressed with respect to individuals’ values, beliefs, sexual orientations, race, ethnicity, religion and language. This month dedicated to the struggles presented minimal exposure to the concerns of the minority community.
Observation of various social media yielded little focus on this issue, there were no walks held during what proves to be one of the hottest months of the years and many of the organizations that would be slated to organizing such events often spend July as vacation month, the month the fiscal year starts and most are operating on a skeleton crew and budget.
In May 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives announced July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and recognized that improved access to mental health treatment and services and public awareness of mental illness are of paramount importance and there is a need for improved access to care, treatment and services for those diagnosed with severe and persistent mental health disorders and improved public awareness of mental illness.
As of 2021, it is estimated that only 39 percent of Black or African American adults, 25 percent of Asian adults and 36 percent of Hispanic/Latino adults with any mental illness were treated. After approx 13 years of this month, being designated the disparities still remain. See here.
This year’s theme “Better Health Through Better Understanding” seeks to promote and protect the health of diverse populations through research and communication of science that address health disparities. Some suggestions for research and science would include the effects that the TransAtlantic Slave Trade on the health of the survivors and their descendents, understanding the effect of being labeled and living with the stereotypes of African American women (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) and the difficulty of individuals having to decide whether to assimilate, intergrate or acculturate in order to be respected in the larger society. There is documentation that proves that there are connections between trauma and its effects on our minds, brains and bodies; citing that traumatic stress has a lasting effect on the individual (van der Kolk, B.A., 2014). With this research, we may be able to help address the mind-body connection for African Americans and other minorities that will aid with understanding how these determinants affects the health and mental health of all.
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Melissa Enoch, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Melissa Enoch is Owner/CEO/Director of Trinity Counseling Services LLC, a private substance abuse and mental health facility located in Burlington and Charlotte, where she uses her twenty-eight years of experience to educate individuals about various mental health and substance use disorder topics. Melissa is also the founder of Women of Strength, a non-profit educational organization focused on women's networking and community awareness. In her spare time, Melissa is interested in making jewelry, shooting photography, and mentoring young professionals.
