African American Mental Health Disparities Treatment Barrier

African American mental illness has become a very contentious issues with society. For one, the recent COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted minorities and communities of color through job loss and an economic downturn. Here, the country initially realized a business closure that result in the loss of millions of jobs as the pandemic began. This unfortunately impacted African Americans, who are disproportionately employed in these low skill jobs. This has had an impact on the mental health of many African Americans as they grapple with job loss, inflation, stagnating wages and lower wealth. These elements often coalesce to create dire economic circumstances for many African Americans. With lower wages and higher bills due to inflation, mental health can be adverse effected. As a result, it is important to identify potential causes of mental health to properly mitigate their overall impact on the lives of minorities.

The article notes many of the influences that impact the mental health of African Americans and provides insights in to preventative techniques and measures. After reading the article I learned that mental health issues are heavily stigmatized in minority communities. As the literature points out, many African Americans can be potentially shunned and ostracized from their community if they receive mental health treatment.

This in my opinion in country productive. From my own observations of the African American community, many behaviors appear to be counterproductive. However, society is afraid to acknowledge these behaviors for fear of backlash or the appearance of “racism.” However, the literature appears to detail a large flaw in the thinking of the overall community. The recognition of mental health should not be ostracized but applauded. This is akin to an obese person being ostracized for going to gym. It is asinine and reflects the backwards thinking of many communities in America today, not just African Americans. I have personally witnessed similar issues within minority communities when I attended high school. African American’s and Hispanics that were smart, educated and took their studies seriously were also ostracized as, “Being too White.” This concept, much like the mental health issue only damages the future of minority communities, which is partial contributor to the economic results these individuals see today (Bell, 2001).

As it relates to the information presented in the article, I somewhat agree with the observations although they can be applied to any community, not just African Americans. The study noted that positive communities and connectedness help to alleviate mental stress. This ultimately prevents adverse mental health circumstances. To me, this is obvious and does not require a sophisticated study to confirm. I would even go so far as to say this observation is common sense. Of course those with connected friends, families and communities will perform well from a mental health perspective. Here, the study was very sophisticated, but appears to justify what society has already determined.