July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the challenges ethnic and racial minorities face when it comes to mental health care.
The Food and Drug Administration says barriers include a lack of health insurance and less access to treatment.
Lisa Pion-Berlin, president and CEO of Parents Anonymous, which runs both the California and National Parent and Youth Helplines, said society must fight to eliminate the stigma around mental health.
“We don’t talk about those things in their families, which may be tied to your cultural values,” Pion-Berlin observed. “The history of oppression, where people say, ‘If I express a problem, I’m seen as weak and as incapable.'”
She said 80% of callers to the California helpline are people of color. People can call or text the free helpline at 855-427-2736 to be connected with a trained counselor. Or you can live-chat through the websites, CAParentYouthHelpline.org or NationalParentYouthHelpline.org, 24/7. Parents Anonymous also offers free weekly support groups in California.
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., has called on the feds to finalize a rule proposed last year, requiring insurance companies nationwide to cover mental health and substance use disorders the same way they cover physical health.
Pion-Berlin argued many health plans are woefully inadequate, covering only a few therapy sessions. She added it can be hard to find a therapist who takes insurance because of extremely low reimbursement rates.
“They’re saying two-thirds of the people actually experiencing mental health problems are not receiving any treatment, even though insurance companies claim that they have mental health coverage,” Pion-Berlin noted.
Federal data show as of 2020, fewer than 50% of African American adults got care for mental health. And in 2018, Asian Americans were 60% less likely to receive mental health treatment than non-Hispanic whites.
