Early life vitamin D deficiency has also been proposed as an explanation for higher risk of various psychiatric disorders78, but recent causally‐informed evidence does not support this for depression79, 80, 81, schizophrenia82 and Alzheimer's disease81. There is strong evidence that several early life (defined here as prenatal and perinatal) adversities – including maternal stress, obstetric complications, and malnutrition – can have profound effects on mental health and disorder decades later68. Families lacking financial resources are less likely to have their basic needs met, including adequate nutrition, which prenatally has been shown to increase the risk of some psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, later in life (see below)65.
Understanding mental health: Epidemiology, determinants and prevention
Half (50%) of People of Color express worries about their mental health, while less than two in five (37%) White individuals report similar concerns. Limited access, affordability and an alarming underrepresentation of mental health professionals who share similar lived experiences are just a few of the obstacles they face. However, these barriers disproportionately impact historically marginalized communities. Within these communities especially, therapy and conversations around mental health in general are too often looked down upon or not spoken of at all. Mental health resources, including medication and affirming therapy are hard to obtain at all without health insurance.
- Individuals with pre-existing mental health conditions, particularly severe and persistent mental illness, may experience greater distress or worsening of symptoms.
- Anyone who’s going to work within the Muslim community needs to know how integral faith, religion and spirituality are to this community.
- If you or someone you love belongs to the BIPOC community, you may wonder how to overcome these barriers to access quality mental health care.
- We must break the silence around depression and mental health struggles in marginalized groups.
- Both clinics demonstrate the growing trend of integrated healthcare centers aiming to combine medical, mental health, and social support services.
An important consideration in understanding how inequalities contribute to sex and gender differences in mental health is that most societies are structured in ways that generally privilege cismen over all other genders, with even legal equality being achieved only in a few countries worldwide209. Acceptance and social inclusion of these people have improved consistently over recent decades, rising steadily from the late 1970s to the early 2010s172, and show signs of increasing further during the current decade173. Structural racism can also increase exposure to other risk factors for mental disorders at the individual level. Racial discrimination is also identified as a reason why, even among non‐poor upwardly mobile Black Americans, the risk of negative health outcomes is higher than for their poor White American counterparts168. Many of these ethnoracial differences in the incidence, course and treatment of mental disorders have been linked with increased exposure to racial discrimination and structural racism among minoritized groups144. In contrast, there is more consistent evidence of increased rates of psychotic symptoms and disorders in ethnoracial minoritized groups, particularly amongst groups perceived as more socioculturally distant from the racial or ethnic majority population in HICs144, 152.
Asian Mental Health Project aims to educate and empower Asian communities in seeking mental healthcare. Their mission is to remove the barriers that Black people experience getting access to or staying connected with emotional health care and healing. Mentors, care coordinators and other school professionals can provide easily accessible support for students with mild mental health problems. This includes youth doctors, who may, depending on the nature of the situation, provide guidance or support or refer to the appropriate healthcare professional (e.g. GP, youth nurse, pedagogue, or a community team).
The Critical Role of Mentoring in Black and Latinx Men's Mental Health
Leading with integrity – supporting Black-led research - Dr Celestin Okoroji explains how Black Thrive are partnering with researchers at the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health. https://www.naadac.org/cultural-humility-resources Tackling racism in maternal health. International Journal of Healthcare Simulation. & Parainsack, B. Solidarity and global health cooperation during covid-19 and beyond. Ethical spaces in imperfect global health collaborations. & Hotopf, M., Multimorbidity and fit note receipt in working-age adults with long-term health conditions.
Effective Community Resources and Initiatives
It deals with the epidemiology of mental disorders, their treatment options, mental health education, the structure of mental healthcare systems and human rights issues. This statewide comprehensive approach provides an opportunity to build a system of care for all young people in California with a strong focus on equity, including supporting and developing strategies for communities of color, low-income families, LGBTQ+ individuals, and communities with elevated rates of adverse childhood experiences. In December 2021, I released a Surgeon General’s Advisory on Youth Mental Health that outlines the policy, institutional, and individual changes it will take to address long-standing challenges, strengthen the resilience of young people, support their families and communities, and mitigate the pandemic’s mental health impacts.18 I have seen firsthand the dedication and efforts that young people, parents, schools, community-based organizations, and other entities have taken to support the mental health of children, adolescents, and young adults.
