Emotions are not a sign of weakness. Stigmas around Black men and mental health must fall

Columbus area resident Kyle Thompson is a policy assistant at the Center for Community Solutions.

With the holiday season upon us, it is important to shed light on behavioral health issues and how they impact marginalized communities.

This is especially important for Black men, because they are underrepresented in behavioral health professions and least likely to utilize behavioral health services.

No conversation around disparities in behavioral health can continue without building a workforce that can meet a population in need. This helps increase connection and support in the wake of rising behavioral health challenges.

By and large, depression is increasing, and behavioral health services are in demand.

Earlier this year, Gallup Poll published data looking broadly at depression rates, with specific consideration to Black and Hispanic populations.

This data indicated that lifetime depression rates are increasing among Black and Hispanic adults at twice the rate of White adults.

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Despite this increase, Black therapists make up only 5% of the behavioral health workforce. When considering the prevalence of Black men in the behavioral health workforce as well, these numbers are even smaller.

There are a variety of explanations as to why there are a low number of Black men currently working in behavioral health, and this can also be understood through looking at the broader behavioral health shortage.

With the historic disinvestment of behavioral health care by public insurance programs, many people are deterred from care simply by difficulty of finding psychiatric care. When accounting for the internal mechanisms that allow for quality care, this is exacerbated by lack of sociocultural representation.

While the institutional capabilities of behavioral health care should also be of note in recognizing the lack of care obtained by Black men, much of the actual connection needed to receive care could be obtained through increasing demographics in behavioral health that represent communities that need services.

Why don't Black men seek behavioral health care?

It is also important to recognize that many reasons for gaps in care for Black men also persist because of stigma.

Phrases such as “be a man” or “showing emotion is weak” become aphorisms that are societally internalized which impacts how men express and process their emotions.

There are also constrictive positions around masculinity, both in terms of how we understand the visible oppression of Black men, but also the ways that this manifests in systemic structures.

These compounding forces manifest an outward expression of masculinity that is rooted in the need to survive a prejudiced society, while also navigating rigid gender constructs.

The act of asking and seeking help can be extremely difficult because it requires vulnerability and space for expression that is typically not allocated to Black men.

Opportunity to raise awareness around depression can only be as effective as the solutions set in place to improve the wellbeing of populations that are most in need of care.

There are organizations currently working to build out services particularly for Black men, such as Therapy for Black Men,  and Black Men Heal.

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Statewide initiatives to build and support behavioral health needs broadly are also increasing, with programs such as the Great Minds Fellowship creating opportunities for college students to enter the behavioral health profession.

These efforts are extremely commendable, but more must be done on a foundational level to reduce the stigma Black men face to help these communities heal and prosper.

Columbus area resident Kyle Thompson is a policy assistant at the Center for Community Solutions.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: What must be done to end stigmas keeping Black men from mental health care