Supporting BIPOC Mental Health: Overcoming Barriers
In the media, there has been a growing awareness around BIPOC communities and mental health care, however, there is more to be done! BIPOC individuals tend to face more challenges regarding mental health care, something that shouldn’t be the case. This relates to individuals' unique experiences and challenges faced because of systemic racism, historical trauma, and cultural stigma.
July is BIPOC Mental Health Month, and we are here to provide an overview of the basics, the barriers, statistics, resources, and more to help support BIPOC individuals' mental health journeys!
What Does BIPOC Stand for and why is it so Important?
BIPOC is the abbreviation for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour. It also refers to other marginalized groups. Unfortunately, BIPOC individuals often experience greater mental health struggles which can be the result of many things, such as racial trauma or stigma, and a lack of representation in the mental health industry. These examples contribute to cases going untreated, and ultimately, individuals not getting the support they need. Mental health professionals need to be educated, and more specifically, both culturally responsive and trauma-informed so that when working with these communities, they can provide the necessary quality care. Everyone deserves access to mental health care, and it is important to ensure that it is inclusive to all!
Understanding BIPOC Mental Health Barriers
BIPOC Mental Health barriers look different depending on the individual. It is important to understand what these barriers can look like, so while this doesn’t cover all, here are some examples:
Lack of insurance: Based on access to health coverage, unfortunately, these communities tend to go uninsured and paying out of pocket isn’t always feasible.
SES: Socioeconomic status can create physical barriers, as there tends to be less access to mental health care in low SES communities in general.
Stigma: Different cultures have different views, and this can lead to different stigmas around mental health. Some believe mental health conditions are a sign of weakness or taboo topics, which should not be the case, but naturally creates barriers.
Trust: A lot of individuals in the BIPOC communities have had negative health care experiences in the past. This can lead to a lack of trust, naturally making it challenging to reach out for support.
Lack of Culturally Responsive Care: There tends to be a lack of representation and diversity among mental health professionals. BIPOC professionals are essential as they can better understand some of the client’s unique experiences. This can also contribute to more culturally responsive care overall.
Racism: Both racism and discrimination can contribute to individuals not seeking out mental health care. Witnessing, directly experiencing, and/or hearing about racism can negatively impact individuals. Having mental health support is critical in mitigating these effects.
Language and cultural differences: If a practitioner is not educated in different cultures or speaks a different language, this creates an added layer of challenge and can negatively impact the quality of care a client receives. This could look like different terminology or norms around mental health that may cause confusion.
Trauma and BIPOC Communities
In terms of mental health, one of the challenges that BIPOC communities often face is racial or complex racial trauma. Racial trauma is the result of racial discrimination individuals experience or witness that can be related to threats, prejudices, harm, guilt, etc. Research has shown that this can develop into PTSD, depression, anxiety, and more, significantly impacting BIPOC individuals.
You may wonder what therapists can do to help support individuals dealing with racial trauma? Here are some key points to note as a therapist/health provider:
Integrate trauma-focused and trauma-informed modalities
Educate oneself on different cultures and cultural norms
Integrate empowerment into sessions
Follow an antiracism framework
Provide culturally responsive care
Use a race-informed therapeutic approach (involves ethnic healing, liberation psychology, and culturally appropriate traditional therapies)
Use the Healing Ethno-Racial Trauma (HEART) framework (culturally adapted treatment created for people with Latin origins).
Focus on community care and community support where you can.
Provide accessible resources to clients where you can.
Key Statistics on BIPOC Mental Health
Here are some key stats around BIPOC mental health you should be aware of:
American data also highlights how the BIPOC community is affected by stigma and systemic disparities:
Only approximately 25% of Asian American people and Pacific Islanders receive mental health treatment.
Mental Health America (MHA) found that moderate to severe symptoms of mental health disorders were more commonly reported by individuals who were non-white, specifically in relation to loneliness, isolation, and past trauma.
In the United States, for adults specifically, African Americans were determined to have the highest lifetime prevalence of PTSD (which was 8.7%).
In the United States, it was found that Black and Latinx children were far less likely than White children to receive treatment for depression (approximately 14% less).
Importance of Inclusive Care
It is very important to focus on creating a safe and inclusive environment for BIPOC communities to get the mental health support they need. Professionals can educate themselves and seek outside support to contribute to inclusive care. While we work towards reducing the negative effects of systemic racism, historical trauma, and cultural stigma on a larger scale, there is still a lot that can be done within communities to support.
Everyone deserves access to mental health care and a focus on inclusive care is a great starting point. In prioritizing BIPOC mental health, building a sense of community, and creating more opportunities for mental health care, it creates a safe environment for clients. This hopefully results in a higher likelihood that BIPOC individuals will seek out the support they need.
Resources to increase awareness and to Support BIPOC community
Here are a few resources recommended by TCC’s team for BIPOC mental health support in Canada:
Native Women’s Association of Canada: https://nwac.ca
Black Mental Health Canada: https://blackmentalhealth.ca
Aboriginal Health Access Centre’s (AHACs): https://www.allianceon.org
Conclusion
There is a lot that can be done for supporting BIPOC individuals regarding mental health care. Educating ourselves is critical in better understanding the challenges these communities face. Inclusive care to reduce these barriers creates a foundation for better access to quality support.
Here at TCC, our therapists are all trauma-informed and provide culturally responsive care, coming from a variety of different backgrounds. We offer free 15-minute phone consultations to provide the opportunity for you to ask questions and to see if our therapists are a good fit! Book yours today!
Resources:
Cénat J. M. (2023). Complex Racial Trauma: Evidence, Theory, Assessment, and
Treatment. Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 18(3), 675–687. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221120428
Holman, A. (Ed.). (2024, March 26). Bipoc Mental Health: Barriers and ways to support. Lyra Health. https://www.lyrahealth.com/blog/bipoc-mental-health/#:~:text=Black%2C%20Indigenous%2C%20and%20people%20of,impact%20on%20BIPOC%20mental%20health.
BIPOC Mental Health. Mental Health America. (2024). https://www.mhanational.org/bipoc
Ramo, D. (2021, July 30). How communities can address BIPOC mental health needs. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/z-alpha/202107/how-communities-can-address-bipoc-mental-health-needs
BIPOC communities. BIPOC Communities | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. (2024, January 26). https://adaa.org/find-help/by-demographics/bipoc-resources
Gurley, S. (2022, April 21). BIPOC mental health trends and disparities. Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer-professional/bipoc-mental-health-trends-and
Leblanc, D. (2024, June 14). Bipoc Mental Health Fact Sheet. Resources To Recover. https://www.rtor.org/bipoc-mental-health-equity-fact-sheet/
