
Adults identifying as two or more races, whites, and American Indian/Alaska Natives were more likely to receive outpatient mental health services and more likely to use prescription psychiatric medication than other racial/ethnic groups.
Why don’t more black Americans seek mental health care?
Wealth and income inequality often control who has access to quality mental health services and the best treatment options. When Black Americans do seek services, they are less likely to receive adequate mental health treatment if they are uninsured, underinsured, or under the care of racially biased clinicians.
How important is race and ethnicity in mental health care?
Provider discussion of race and ethnicity was marginally more important for minorities than Whites. More noteworthy, when mental health clients felt like a cultural element was important in their care, but did not perceive it to be present, they were less satisfied with aspects of their treatment.
What is the most common theme within each race for mental health?
Hispanic and Latino Americans: The most common theme within each race is the lack of mental health service availability. Approximately 1 in 10 Hispanic Americans with a mental health disorder use mental health services from a general health care provider, while only 1 in 20 receive these services from a mental health specialist.
Are minorities in effectively served by mental health professionals?
The U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, Culture, Race, and Ethnicity (2001)acknowledged that racial and ethnic minority persons are underserved and ineffectively served by mental health professionals.

Which racial group is most likely to receive mental health services?
white adultsOutpatient mental health service use in the past year was highest for adults reporting two or more races (8.8 percent), white adults (7.8 percent), and American Indian or Alaska Native adults (7.7 percent), followed by black (4.7 percent), Hispanic (3.8 percent), and Asian (2.5 percent) adults.
What demographic is most affected by mental illness?
Young adults aged 18-25 years had the highest prevalence of SMI (9.7%) compared to adults aged 26-49 years (6.9%) and aged 50 and older (3.4%). The prevalence of SMI was highest among the adults reporting two or more races (9.9%), followed by American Indian / Alaskan Native (AI/AN) adults (6.6%).
Which ethnic and racial group is least likely to support mental health treatment in the United States?
With respect to treatment use in the group with serious distress, Latinos surveyed in Spanish (18 percent) were the least likely to obtain mental health services (differing significantly from whites, 66 percent); Asian-Americans had the second lowest rate of treatment use (32 percent).
Which ethnic group in the US uses mental health services the least?
Asian American/Pacific Islanders are least likely to seek mental health services than any other racial/ethnic group. They are also three times less likely to access mental health services than their white counterparts.
What race has the highest depression rate?
Major depression was most prevalent among Hispanics (10.8%), followed by African Americans (8.9%) and Whites (7.8%). The odds of depressive disorders among older Hispanics were 44% greater than among Whites (OR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.02, 2.04), representing a significantly greater prevalence of major depression.
What percentage of mental health professionals are white?
The most common ethnicity of Mental Health Professionals is White (80.9%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (9.1%) and Black or African American (6.7%).
Why do minorities have less access to mental health care?
Some of the reasons for disparities in mental health utilization by marginalized ethnic groups include provider discrimination, lack of adequate health insurance, high costs, limited access to quality care, stigma, mistrust of the healthcare system, and limited awareness about mental illnesses.
Who is least likely to seek treatment for mental disorders?
Women are more likely than men to receive treatment for all mental health conditions, with 15% of women receiving treatment compared to 9% of men. Young people aged 16-24 were found to be less likely to receive mental health treatment than any other age group.
How does diversity affect mental health?
The differences in cultures have a range of implications for mental health practice, ranging from the ways that people view health and illness, to treatment seeking patterns, the nature of the therapeutic relationship and issues of racism and discrimination.
Do racial and ethnic disparities in mental health treatment vary with underlying mental health?
We find that in contrast to physical health treatment, Black-White and Hispanic-White disparities in any mental health treatment use widen with higher levels of psychological distress.
What percentage of the US population is black?
13.4%United States / Black populationIn 2020, the Black or African American alone population (41.1 million) accounted for 12.4% of all people living in the United States, compared with 38.9 million and 12.6% in 2010.
How can racial disparities be reduced in mental health care?
Clearly, routine screening for depression in healthcare settings, as well as educating providers about ethnic minority patients, and educating patients about mental illness and interventions, could help to reduce disparities.
Which gender has the most mental health issues?
Results prevalence rates mental health for women and men. In general, women reported more mental health problems than men (38, 39). Regardless of the measurement scale, depression or depressive symptoms were reported more often by women than by men (32, 36, 41, 42, 46, 58).
How does mental health affect minorities?
Racial/ethnic, gender, and sexual minorities often suffer from poor mental health outcomes due to multiple factors including inaccessibility of high quality mental health care services, cultural stigma surrounding mental health care, discrimination, and overall lack of awareness about mental health.
How does diversity affect mental health?
The differences in cultures have a range of implications for mental health practice, ranging from the ways that people view health and illness, to treatment seeking patterns, the nature of the therapeutic relationship and issues of racism and discrimination.
How common is anxiety in 2020?
An Athenahealth analysis of patient visits to primary care providers (PCPs) in 2020 found that although anxiety and depression are “strikingly common” in more than 24 million patients, the diagnosis of the conditions varied greatly between demographic groups.
How many times more likely are women to be diagnosed with anxiety disorder than men?
Women were more than one and a half times as likely as men to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or major depression. Patients between the ages of 51-70 were most likely to receive a diagnosis of anxiety. Patients between the ages of 71-80 were most likely to receive a diagnosis of depression.
Why is mental health unaccommodating?
has been and is unaccommodating of cultural or language differences, Yang says, because the majority of the mental health workforce is made up of White individuals. But that doesn't mean it can't change. "The healthcare field is moving in the right direction in that cultural competence is now heavily emphasized, ...
When was the CDC's research conducted?
The research was inspired by a survey report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted in June 2020.
Who is Sarah Simon?
Sarah Simon is a bilingual multimedia journalist with a degree in psychology. She has previously written for publications including The Daily Beast and Rantt Media. Nick Blackmer is a fact checker and researcher with extensive background in health content.
How many people sought psychiatric care in 2011?
The data included information on 7,523,956 adults who sought psychiatric care in 2011 and provided details on use of medication, diagnostic history, and prevalence of psychotherapy.
Is race a factor in mental health?
Race may be a significant factor in whether a person is diagnosed with a mental health condition. It may also influence which condition is diagnosed and whether the person receives treatment, according to a study published in Psychiatric Services.
What are the new race and ethnicity guidelines?
The new Race and Ethnicity Guidelines are divided into four sections: fundamental, training and education, practice, and research guidelines. All are underpinned by the principle that considerations of social justice are inherent to an understanding of race and ethnicity, and the principle that issues of race, ethnicity, ...
What are the guidelines for psychologists?
The guidelines recommend that psychologists be aware that in every job and career stage, they are influenced by race and ethnicity, so they should carefully consider how racial and ethnocultural norms may shape their own behaviors.
What are the guidelines for research?
When it comes to research practices, the guidelines urge scholars to study the well-being of racial and ethnic minorities and to reflect on the values and possible biases that influence their research decisions.
Is multiculturalism part of psychology?
Though multiculturalism is an increasing part of psychology curricula and training programs, there are often gaps, particularly in areas where research hasn’t kept up. For example, University of Texas at Austin psychologist Germine Awad, PhD, and Wafa Amayreh, PhD, of the U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio–Lackland, reviewed the literature on prejudice and discrimination against Middle Eastern and North African individuals and found limited scholarship ( Handbook of Arab American Psychology, Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group, 2016). What’s more, multiculturalism is sometimes seen as an add-on, rather than as an integral part of the curriculum, says Joseph Trimble, PhD, a psychologist at Western Washington University who co-chaired the guidelines’ development committee.
Is multiculturalism an add-on?
What’s more, multiculturalism is sometimes seen as an add-on, rather than as an integral part of the curriculum , says Joseph Trimble, PhD, a psychologist at Western Washington University who co-chaired the guidelines’ development committee.
Do psychologists have to be aware of race?
In practice, too, psychologists should be aware of ways that race, ethnicity and culture influence assessments and treatments. Tests and assessments are often not validated with minority samples, making interpretation of results potentially inaccurate.
Why do black people not seek mental health care?
Many Black Americans do not seek mental health services due to cultural stigma surrounding mental illness. Wealth and income inequality often control who has access to quality mental health services and the best treatment options. When Black Americans do seek services, they are less likely to receive adequate mental health treatment ...
Why are black people vulnerable to malpractice?
Impoverished Black people may be especially vulnerable to malpractice, Miles explains, because many community mental health centers hire who they can afford and not clinicians with better training and experience.
How many black people live below poverty?
Roughly 23% of Black Americans live below the poverty level, compared to 10% of white Americans. 6 Economic disparities for Black people due to systemic racism leave many without insurance and unable to afford treatment, explained Calixte.
What are the environmental conditions that affect the health of black people?
Racial inequities in employment, education, and housing have led to environmental conditions that put a strain on the health of many Black Americans. 1 If you are Black and impoverished, you are much more focused on your daily survival needs than your mental health, Miles explains.
Is BIPOC more likely to be hospitalized?
What's more, data released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found that Black Medicare patients are nearly four times more likely to be hospitalized from coronavirus than White Americans, showing that BIPOC are being disproportionately affected by COVID-19. 9.
Will mental health improve for black people?
Mental health will not improve for Black Americans until more resources are provided to improve living conditions within their communities. Greater diversity within the mental health field will grant Black clients access to culturally competent providers, and incentivize the completion of treatment.
What percentage of emergency department patients have psychiatric conditions?
In fact, 6 percent of all the emergency department patients—of all ages—had a psychiatric condition. More than 20 percent of these psychiatric patients were admitted to the hospital, compared with just over 13 percent of the medical patients.
Why is code switching important for black people?
For many Black people in corporate settings, code-switching is the norm in order to not solely fit in, but survive on a daily basis, and can cause a great deal of mental conflict. Code-switching is the act of switching between two or more languages or varieties of language in a conversation.
What is the difference between a black and white child?
A Black child who is disruptive in school may be identified by the teacher as having operational defiant disorder and be treated punitively. On the other hand, a white child being equally disruptive may be identified as having ADHD and be handled with more compassion and less punishment.
Why are patients not aware of the process?
Lack of knowledge. Patients are not always aware of how the process works, in part because it is stigmatized and not discussed in their circles.
Is mental illness stigmatized in the black community?
For many years, there was a deeply rooted stigma surrounding mental illness within the Black community, and in some instances there still is. For most Black families, the subject of seeing a psychologist was taboo or a sign of weakness.
Can you detect mental illness with a blood test?
Unlike things like a broken wrist or high cholesterol, you can’t detect mental illness with a simple X-ray or blood test. The subjective nature of making a diagnosis can be particularly problematic when you account for racial differences.
Does mental illness discriminate?
Mental illness may not discriminate , but the systems that support mental health including medical communities, insurance providers, and education systems could. Here’s a look at how bias, both implicit and explicit, are affecting millions of Black Americans.

Overview
Fundamental Guidelines
- The first section of the guidelines urges psychologists to recognize the influence of race and ethnicity in society, to maintain their scholarly knowledge of race and ethnicity, to be aware of their own position in the societal hierarchy and to address inequalities in organizations. Unfortunately, most psychological research has been done on so-called WEIRD samples—in cou…
Training and Education
- Though multiculturalism is an increasing part of psychology curricula and training programs, there are often gaps, particularly in areas where research hasn’t kept up. For example, University of Texas at Austin psychologist Germine Awad, PhD, and Wafa Amayreh, PhD, of the U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio–Lackland, reviewed the literature on prejudice and discrimination again…
Insights For Practice
- In practice, too, psychologists should be aware of ways that race, ethnicity and culture influence assessments and treatments. Tests and assessments are often not validated with minority samples, making interpretation of results potentially inaccurate. Evidence also suggests that racial and ethnic minorities face bias in the health-care system that...
Guidelines For Research
- When it comes to research practices, the guidelines urge scholars to study the well-being of racial and ethnic minorities and to reflect on the values and possible biases that influence their research decisions. Researchers should approach this work with savvy research methods: Too often, race and ethnicity variables are insufficiently operationalized in research studies. For example, using …