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12 July, 2024.

Family Counseling Center Recognizes July as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

This July, communities across the nation come together to observe Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the unique mental health challenges faced by minority populations. Established in honor of Bebe Moore Campbell, an author and activist, this month-long observance aims to foster dialogue, reduce stigma, and encourage access to mental health resources among minorities.

The initiative, which began as a grassroots effort to address disparities in mental health care, has gained momentum in recent years. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), minority groups often experience higher levels of psychological distress due to various factors. Throughout our national history displacement, mistreatment, and economic racism have disproportionately affected black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).

July’s focus on BIPOC mental health is an effort to increase awareness and understanding of BIPOC mental health, the steps individuals can take to protect their mental heath through community-led action and organizing, and the need for appropriate and accessible services for BIPOC people with mental health conditions.

Barriers to care and stigma often impede individuals from seeking help. BIPOC communities often have the lowest treatment rates. 36.1% of Asian adults with mental illness received treatment in 2022 and 37.9% of non-Hispanic Black or African American adults with mental illness received treatment during the same period.

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