Title: Black and African American Communities and Mental Health | Mental Health America
Headings: Black and African American Communities and Mental Health
Black and African American Communities and Mental Health
Demographics/Societal Issues
Prevalence
Attitudes
Treatment Issues
Access/Insurance
Fact Sheets
Mental Health Resources for Black and African American Communities
Partnerships and Resources
Sources

Content: Participants appeared apprehensive about seeking professional help for mental health issues, which is consistent with previous research. However, participants were willing to seek out some form of help. Treatment Issues
Black and African American people are more often diagnosed with schizophrenia and less often diagnosed with mood disorders compared to white people with the same symptoms. Additionally, they are offered medication or therapy at the lower rates than the general population. [ 5]
Black and African American people are over-represented in our jails and prisons. Black and African American people make up 13 percent of the general U.S. population, but nearly 40 percent of the prison population. [ 12] In 2016, the imprisonment rate for Black and African American men (2,417 per 100,000 Black male residents) was more than 6 times greater than that for white men (401 per 100,000 white male residents) and the imprisonment rate for Black and African American women (97 per 100,000 Black and African American female residents) was almost double that for white women (49 per 100,000 white female residents). [ 13] Black and African American people with mental health conditions, specifically those involving psychosis, are more likely to be in jail or prison than people of other races. [ 5]
Because less than 2 percent of American Psychological Association members are Black or African American, some may worry that mental health care practitioners are not culturally competent enough to treat their specific issues. [ 14]
Stigma and judgment prevent Black and African American people from seeking treatment for their mental illnesses.