National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month – July 2024
Jul 24, 2024
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What is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month?
July was first declared as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in 2008.[1]
Having a mental illness is more common than most people may think. Approximately 23% of all adults in the U.S. have a mental illness.[2] The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated and exposed the extent and severity of the mental health crisis on racial and ethnic minorities sexual orientation and gender identity minorities, and marginalized young people.[3] Further, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities in the U.S. face unique challenges when it comes to mental illness, including obstacles such as lack of health insurance, less access to mental health treatment that is linguistically or culturally appropriate, and stigma surrounding mental illness preventing people from seeking services.[4]
The Communities We Serve
At Robbins Schwartz, we serve a unique client population, including many public school districts throughout the state. School districts are in a unique position to address mental health illness faced by youth as school districts can provide children with early social and emotional development, giving them the building blocks to learn healthy social skills and coping strategies.
Due to factors beyond the control of minority and marginalized youth, these groups of youth are at a higher risk for mental health difficulties. Mental health is an essential part of overall health and not only affects the ability of youth to succeed in school, at work, and throughout life but is critical to their overall well-being and to the health of their communities. Many mental health challenges first emerge early in life.[5]
School districts provide access to mental health services, such as school counselors or therapists, and can connect students and their families with community services that address mental health. Schools have the opportunity to create safe spaces and caring environments where students feel comfortable expressing their feelings and reaching out for help without fear or judgement. Schools teach you the motional skills and implement social emotional learning curriculums at all levels. When staff and administration in schools model respect for people with mental health difficulties, this can reduce the stigma for youth to seek out support and services for mental health needs.
By providing thoughtful advice to school districts on how to address the mental health crisis faced by minority and marginalized youth, we are contributing to thoughtful, comprehensive solutions to support youth across the communities we serve.
Sources
[1] https://www.nctsn.org/resources/public-awareness/national-minority-mental-health-awareness-month [2] Reinert, M., Fritze, D., & Nguyen, T. (2022). The State of Mental Health in America 2023. Mental Health America. Retrieved fromhttps://www.mhanational.org/sites/default/files/2023-State-of-Mental-Health-in-America-Report.pdf [3] Murthy VH. The Mental Health of Minority and Marginalized Young People: An Opportunity for Action. Public Health Reports®. 2022;137(4):613-616.doi:10.1177/00333549221102390 (citing Jones SE, Ethier KA, Hertz M, et al. Mental health, suicidality, and connectedness among high school students during the COVID-19pandemic—Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, United States, January–June 2021. MMWR Suppl. 2022;71(suppl 3):16-21.)[4]https://www.cdc.gov/healthequity/features/minority-mental-health/index.html [5] See fn. 3, Murthy (citing Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders inthe National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62(6):593-602; Wang PS, Berglund PA, Olfson M, Kessler RC. Delays in initial treatment contact after first onset of a mental disorder. Health Serv Res. 2004;39(2):393-415)