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Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month is observed each May. It has been recognized in the United States since 1949. SAMHSA leads federal observance activities, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) runs the primary public campaign.

The mental health picture for Black Americans is shaped by a treatment gap, not a prevalence gap. Black adults are not significantly more likely to experience most mental health conditions than white adults overall. The stark disparity is in who gets care: only 14.7% of Black adults with a mental health condition received any mental health treatment in the most recent national data, compared to 22.9% of the overall U.S. population, a 36% lower rate. Medication treatment is even more skewed: 8.7% of Black adults versus 16.7% nationally.

Three factors drive that gap. First, cost and coverage: in 2020, 10.4% of Black adults had no health insurance, making out-of-pocket mental health care inaccessible. Second, the shortage of Black therapists and psychiatrists means that when Black adults do seek care, they often see providers who lack cultural competence, which reduces trust and retention. Third, stigma within Black communities is real. Historical surveys have found that only 12.5% of Black respondents feel comfortable discussing mental health with close friends and family, compared to 67% of white respondents.

The harms of the treatment gap compound over time. Depression that goes untreated worsens chronic physical conditions. Anxiety that goes unaddressed interferes with work, parenting, and relationships. For Black adolescents, the picture is particularly urgent: Black high school students are 8% more likely than the national average to have attempted suicide in the past year, and their access to school-based mental health services lags.

The data, plainly

What you can do this month

For individuals: - If you have been putting off talking to a therapist, use May as the nudge. The SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) is free, confidential, and available 24/7 in English and Spanish. - Therapy can be expensive. Open Path Collective, community mental health centers, and federally qualified health centers offer sliding-scale and income-based pricing. Many states also have expanded Medicaid mental health coverage. - When looking for a therapist, Therapy for Black Girls, Therapy for Black Men, and the Association of Black Psychologists' therapist directory all help you find culturally affirming providers. - Talk to your primary care provider about mental health symptoms if you are not ready to see a specialist. Depression and anxiety screening can start in a regular visit. - If you are a parent: normalize the conversation with your children and teenagers. Black youth who see mental health care modeled at home are more likely to seek it themselves.

For providers: - Integrate PHQ-9 depression screening and GAD-7 anxiety screening into every adult primary care visit. Document and act on results. - SAMHSA's digital toolkit for Mental Health Awareness Month includes culturally tailored materials designed for Black communities.

Resources

Sources

  1. Office of Minority Health, HHS: Mental and Behavioral Health -- Black/African Americans
  2. NAMI: Black/African American
  3. SAMHSA: Mental Health Awareness Month Digital Toolkit
  4. NAMI California: Mental Health in Black Communities

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