Summit's Edge Founders acknowledge their race, gender and sexuality privilege that limits their scope of perspective on the racist society we are immersed in. In an effort to dismantle the system of racism that exists within our current society, we acknowledge the ongoing pain and injustice that our staff, clients, friends, and colleagues continue to face.
In our last blog post, we highlighted Black pioneers who greatly contributed and impacted the mental health community. It’s important that we discuss the why. Why is this topic important? What challenges have people belonging to the Black community faced when seeking mental health services? What difficulties do Black mental health therapists face in the mental health community that their white counterparts don’t have to?
Racism and race discrimination continues to occur in our world and has caused what can only be described as Generational Trauma (psychological effects of trauma being transferred from one generation to another). Generational trauma is a traumatic event that began decades prior to the current generation and has impacted the way that individuals understand, cope with, and heal from trauma. As a result of systemic barriers, the Black community often struggles to access and receive valuable mental health treatment. The rate at which Black individuals living below the poverty line experience severe emotional distress is more than double that of their peers living above the poverty line. Black individuals in the United States are more likely than white adults to express chronic symptoms of emotional distress, such as hopelessness, and the perception that everything in life is an effort, according to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health.
There is a disparity in the quality of treatment provided to Black patients and a lack of culturally competent services for the Black community. Sadly, only a third of Black individuals who are in need of mental health care, actually end up getting it. The APA reports that Black individuals have a lower likelihood to receive care that adheres to established guidelines, less likely to be included in studies, and are more likely to seek help from general practitioners or emergency departments rather than mental health professionals. Because of an overall lack of culturally competent providers, bias from mental health professionals, mistrust, and misdiagnosis, many are reluctant to seek help for mental health issues.
In addition, there is a lack of Black representation within mental health providers. According to the Black Mental Health Alliance, “only 6.2 percent of psychologists, 5.6 percent of advanced-practice psychiatric nurses, 12.6 percent of social workers, and 21.3 percent of psychiatrists are members of minority groups.” We encourage you to take a moment to read this article titled “The path from trauma to hope” from a Black psychiatrist who shares her perspective of how these disparities have impacted her.
At Summit’s Edge, we also believe appropriate and culturally competent mental health treatment can save lives.
Not so ironically and reflective of the disparities referenced, we cannot encapsulate the pain of BIPOC in a way that can dignify the suffering and the fact that we are publishing this post would indicate perhaps the greatest disparity itself: those who would be best designated to speak to the suffering of BIPOC must preserve their emotional labor in order to continue to best serve their clients.
Authored By: Julianna Robinson, LCSW
References:
African Americans. Psychiatry.org - African Americans. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/cultural-competency/education/african-american-patients
Black Mental Health Alliance. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://blackmentalhealth.com/
Office of Minority Health. Mental and Behavioral Health - African Americans - The Office of Minority Health. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2023, from https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=4&lvlid=24