Black Americans and Mental Health

Black Americans make up approximately 13.2% of the population in the United States of America  (Mental Health of America, 2017).   Approximately 16% of the individuals that make up this racial and ethnic group have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder (Mental Health of America, 2017). The word diagnosed is highlighted to reflect the number of individuals who do not seek treatment  and have not been diagnosed, but may meet the clinical criteria for a number of mental health conditions.
Due to the stigma of mental health treatment, many individuals may ignore both the signs and symptoms and seek to deal with their condition on their own despite having access to resources.   Mental health disorders are prevalent across all racial groups, ethnicities, and genders.  As humans we are affected by our experiences and our environments.  The cost of modern society is stress and competing demands on our times.  When humans are faced with daily stressors, we are hard wired to respond to these stressors.  Allostatic wear and tear on the body may contribute to poor mental health functioning and physical health conditions.  I hope that this video will both enlighten and inform you of what depression looks like.  Depression, like other mental conditions, are not limited to certain socioeconomic or racial groups.  Mental health disorders are equal opportunistic disorders.

https://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/african-american-mental-health

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