10 Things You Should Know About Minority Mental Health
July is Minority Mental Health Month! It’s dedicated to creating awareness and discussion about mental health in minority communities in order to increase their access to mental health care and treatment. We know mental illness affects everyone despite their differences, so we want everyone to work towards equality among mental health care.
Here are 10 facts about Minority Mental Health to get you thinking:
1. Teenage Latinas are more likely to die by suicide than African American and white, non-Hispanic female students.
2. Less than 1 in 11 Latinos with mental disorders contact mental health care specialists.
3. In 2009, suicide was the second leading cause of death for American Indian/Alaska Natives between the ages of 10 and 34.
4. LGB youth are 4 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to their straight peers.
5. Native American males ages 15-24 account for 64 percent of all suicides among Native Americans.
6. Among women aged 15-24, Asian American females have the highest suicide rates across all racial/ethnic groups.
7. In a 2006 study, suicide was cited as the third leading cause of death for African Americans ages 15-19.
8. Only 1 out of 3 African Americans who need mental health care receive it.
9. In 2012, 14 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives age 18-plus had co-occurring mental and substance use disorders.
10. Recovery is possible for everyone.
If you or someone you know needs help, please visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Head here for a list of crisis centers around the world.
If you want to learn more about minority mental health, here are some resources:
Native American mental health: The National Center for American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, Mental Health America: Native American Communities, Indian Health Service Division of Behavioral Health
Hispanic mental health: National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health, The National Latino Behavioral Health Association
African American mental health: National Leadership Council on African American Behavioral Health, Black Mental Health Alliance for Education and Consultation, Inc.
Asian American mental health: National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association
LQBTQ mental health: The Trevor Project
A version of this post originally appeared on the Active Minds Blog. To join the discussion about Minority Mental Health Month on social media, use #MMHM.