African American Mental Health Essay

As of 2018, more than 1 in 5 African American people live below the poverty line. African American people in the United States that live under the poverty line are twice as likely to suffer from physiological distress than those who live above the poverty line. African American adults are less likely to die from suicide than white adults, but African American teenagers are likely to attempt suicide. Even when African Americans and White people have the same mental health symptoms, African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia and than diagnosed with mood swings and disorders. When it comes to substance addictions, 90% of the people over 12 years old with this disorder did not receive treatment, or the correct treatment

Martin Luther King, did not seek, or refused, mental health help because of the stigma surrounding it. Dr. Christine M. Crawford stated, “‘We can all work together to recognize and address this challenge, But to do so, we must understand where it comes from and why it is so ingrained in our culture ’”. During this time, it was thought that enslaved people were not smart enough to be experiencing emotions and disorders such as depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Because of this, mental disorders can be seen as weaknesses and are illtreated. Although anxiety and depression may not be as common in African American people as it is in white people, their symptoms are much worse and

According to the CDC, “racial and ethnic minority groups, throughout the United States, experience higher rates of illness and death across a wide range of health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, asthma, and heart disease, when compared to their White counterparts”. This problem and stigma has created so many challenges that it severely affects the lives of millions of black people. According to the CDC, “the life expectancy of non - Hispanic / Black Americans is four years lower than that of White Americans.” However, racism can be hidden in our society, but it is still a problem socially, economically, and emotionally for African Americans.

As well as these problems, there is “racial trauma” that may occur in people of color. This trauma can come from either verbal, emotional, or physical attacks. It only takes one incident to happen for trauma to add up and repeatedly occur. In an article about racial trauma from the McLean Hospital. “Nearly 65% of African American youth report traumatic experiences compared to 30% of their peers from other ethnic