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African American Mental Health Essay

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How mental health is dismissed throughout Black Americans
What is mental health? Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. Mental health is more than the absence of mental disorders. It is very complex and is experienced differently from one person to the next. Many of us will experience a mental health crisis in our lives, but we don't stay in crisis. Well move beyond the crisis into a period of healing and then another healthy period when we've recovered.

Mental health in the black community Throughout the black community mental health is very commonly dismissed in households. A study has shown that 63% of black people believe that a mental health condition is a sign of weakness. Around 25% of black people will seek mental health attention rather than the 40% of white people. A big reason for this can be the unequal access to health care and the strong distrust in white therapy from racial trauma. Nearly 16% of African Americans reportedly have mental illnesses. In black communities reluctance to seek both physical and mental health care can often be attributed to a general distrust of the medical establishment. This distrust is not without merit ,historically, African Americans have been …show more content…

Mental health is dismissed by other people mainly because it can be confusing to those who have never had the struggle. It is seen as a weakness and most of the time it is just misunderstood. It is being dismissed throughout people struggling themselves because they have the belief that they are responsible for their mental health. This can make people not want to open up about their negative thoughts due to the stigma surrounding mental health, this can lead to the deep topic of suicide because most people that pass away this way do it because they feel like they cannot talk about

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Unlike Sneed, I was not diagnosed with any disease or disorder. I personally do not remember being tested for mental health issues; it simply was not a concern in my household. Some adult African American do not get tested for mental health because they do not want other members of their community knowing their business and have too much pride to ask for help they believe the can do it all by themselves. Simone took the initiative of getting help for her disorders and she also made a health choice to adopt a holistic lifestyle. Her holistic lifestyle reinforces healthy eating, working out, making time for friends and a healthy level of conceit and self-encouragement.

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Mental Health is a tough topic to talk about but for the African American Community; the concept of mental illness or overall mental health is swept up under the rug. The African American community is not informed and misunderstands mental health and illnesses, but why? In other communities of people mental health and all of its aspects are accepted but for my community of people it's something that is not openly discussed and looked down upon. According to mentalhealth.gov, “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

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In today's modern society, mental health has gradually become part of many discussions within the public. More and more resources are being provided for those struggling with mental health difficulties, but African Americans are one of the major demographics who lack support. Black communities are less likely to access mental health services for multiple factors, but the most significant justifications are financial burdens that influence them to not seek access, stigmas caused by years of cultural differences, and barriers such as discrimination from society. If mental health in African American communities is not addressed, it could disintegrate the communities mental health further until irreversible. With that being acknowledged, health

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