The Importance Of Mental Health

Every year, about 42.5 million American adults (18.2 percent of the total adult population in the United States) suffer from some mental illness, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that mental illness refers to disorders generally characterized by dysregulation of mood, thought, and/or behavior. Mental illness refers to a broad scope of mental health conditions, disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and, addictive behaviors. A mental illness can cause misery and problems within everyday life encounters, such as school, work, or relationships. In most cases, symptoms

During my research, I came across several articles that stated that generally people of color do not seek out mental health services. According to an article in Ebony Magazine by Nia Hamm, “African Americans are 20% more likely to report having serious psychological distress than non-Hispanic Whites, stated by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, but yet young adult African Americans, especially those with higher levels of education, are less likely to seek mental health services than their White counterparts, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association.” The reason that a vast majority of people of color may choose to suppress their mental health conditions is because of their upbringing. From history, it has been stated that people of color were not allowed to seek aid and/or guidance when battling with dilemmas. As generations progressed, so did traditions, but some traditions that were instilled within ancestors, remained prevalent and passed on throughout future generations.
Women for centuries have been suppressed by society’s “it’s a man’s world” mentality and they are only needed for baring children, while never acknowledging that they are human-beings who experience similar situations as men. Women experience far

Another reason black woman may deny going to mental illness centers are because their resources are limited compared to white women. Whereas for white people, they have unlimited access to health centers that will accommodate to their needs mentally. A lack of adequate health care can significantly contribute to low rates of the treatment of depression among black women. Black women are also more likely to deal with shame about their mental health and depression in the same way as they would be avoiding the emotional toll it takes on them. Another reason why black women tend not to bring up their mental health is only if they have a lack of knowledge of what is happening to them. If black women don’t view depression to be a serious medical condition, some may believe that they would never experience depression. It may seem irrational, but some black women believe that it occurs only within the white community. Black women only can believe the stereotypes or stigmas shown on media about how white people have all these mental issues going with them, as they don’t know the statistics pertaining to other