This awareness day was named after mental health activist and author Bebe Moore Campbell - and focuses on building awareness about the importance of mental wellness and effective mental health care for minorities.
According to research, minorities are less likely to receive a mental health diagnosis, less likely to receive treatment for mental illness, have less access to and availability of mental health services and often receive a poorer quality of mental health care. More specifically:
- The percentage of Black and LatinX who use mental health care services is less than half that of Caucasian children.
- 88% of LatinX children with mental health issues have unmet needs.
- More than 25% of Black American youth exposed to violence have been shown to be at high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Adolescent Native Americans experience the highest rates of suicide of any population in the United States—at least three to five times the national average.
- In the Asian American youth population, suicidal ideation and suicide rates continue to increase.
To learn more about the mental health needs and treatment outreach, link here
