Frequent exposure to racism and discrimination, whether in personal experiences or through media, can lead to stress and anxiety. Systemic inequalities contribute to Black youth facing higher rates of stress, anxiety, and trauma. Black teens are also more likely to be subjected to racial profiling and may encounter discrimination in the job market, leading to higher rates of unemployment. Black youth are disproportionately impacted by systemic inequalities in various ways. With the rise of police brutality against Black people, terrorism, crime, racism, and poverty, we all must bring our attention to this crisis.
- But, for youth and families seeking treatment for obesity, they may make it difficult to adhere to a standard treatment regimen.
- Maternal reports of racism affect the socio-emotional development of Black children in their first year of life, with links to negative emotionality.
- Discovering what helps you feel cared for and relaxed can help you cope with everything going on in the world and in your personal life.
- Data shows that Black students are significantly more likely to be suspended or expelled than any other racial group, which can seriously impact their sense of well-being and push them to disengage or even drop out of school.
While traditional mental health services can be beneficial for Black youth, it is important to consider holistic approaches to address their mental wellness. There are multiple initiatives aimed towards breaking down the systemic barriers that Black youth face when seeking mental health support. Campaigns such as the “Love on Us” initiative focus on spreading awareness of mental health, reducing stigma, and providing free mental health resources to Black youth. The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation offers free mental health services to Black youth and National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month youth of color.
The Black Youth Helpline model was created by youth for youth.
The organization provides free mental health support, educational programming, and a helpline via its state and local chapters. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a national grassroots organization that supports people and families affected by mental illness. Historically, the church has functioned as a social service hub for Black Americans, providing information and resources that might otherwise be inaccessible. In a study that included interviews from nearly 100 Black pastors, the respondents averaged more than six hours of counseling work per week, in which they often addressed serious problems similar to those seen by mental health professionals. A costly consequence of racial bias in a mental health setting is misdiagnosis, especially of mood disorders.
Treatment for Teen Depression at Newport Academy
Black youths are at a higher risk for depression, anxiety, and other mental health struggles than their non-Black peers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that suicide rates for Black youths (ages 10-24) rose significantly from 2018 to 2021. The 988 Lifeline is available to provide immediate counseling services when people need support. The suicide rate among Black youth is increasing faster than other racial or ethnic groups. By fostering these factors and providing access to resources and programs that promote resilience, we can support the mental well-being of Black adolescents.
Black youth are faced with unequal educational resources because of schools being economically disadvantaged. Finally, Gruber et al. (2021) emphasized that as the need for mental health services will continue to outpace the availability of professional mental health providers, support from lay persons can help address this gap. Although the program was intended to mitigate challenges sparked by COVID-19 (i.e., reducing barriers to support services), we did not ask participants about specific challenges they encountered due to the pandemic, which precluded our team from gaining an in-depth understanding of how COVID-19 impacted the students. Because we did not use an experimental design, it is possible that other factors could have contributed to the K-12 students’ growth (e.g., school-based interventions). This finding indicates that e-mentoring may resonate with Black youth, rather than decrease their interest (Kauffman et al., 2022), when culturally affirming support is provided.
We recognise that we have to be better at reaching and representing racialised young people, and the adults around them, who have been marginalised by the system. This is a commissioned resource featuring advice from Black young people on how to respond when a Black young person opens up about their mental health. We collaborated with Poetic Unity to facilitate a workshop with Black young people that explored how adults can respond well to them talking about their mental health. 3) Barriers of access to professional, mainstream mental health assessment & treatment before situations reach crisis proportion Currently, families, parents, youth, schools and other service organizations are the key users of the service. In Manitoba, schools (Teachers, guidance counsellors) were the initial major users of the service diligently seeking out culturally relevant input to help address the needs of their student populations.