PHILADELPHIA, July 1, 2023 — The number of people in the U. S. experiencing mental illness has escalated greatly over the past few years. One in five adults experience mental illness each year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and over 20 % of them are Black people. However, stigmas and other issues often prevent people of African descent from seeking treatment for their mental illness. That’s why Fun Times Magazine has initiated the “988 Diaspora Campaign” to promote awareness and use of the federal 988 Mental Health Lifeline. FunTimes (https://www.funtimesmagazine.com) is a popular, Philadelphia-based online magazine that focuses on African-American, African, and Caribbean cultures and lifestyles in the Delaware Valley.
Modeled after 911 and launched in 2022 as a result of the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act passed by Congress in 2020, people who call or text 988 (https://988lifeline.org/) will be connected to call centers around the nation, including 13 in Pennsylvania and one in Philadelphia. The 988 Mental Health Lifeline is free, anonymous, and available 24/7.
Funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund to create awareness around 988, the 988 Diaspora Campaign will work with Black healthcare organizations and mental health professionals, nonprofits, businesses, cultural organizations, fraternal organizations, faith-based organizations, and other media to educate the African Diaspora (African Americans, Africans, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Central/South Americans) in the Philadelphia Region on mental health treatment.
“We are promoting the 988 Mental Health Lifeline with the goal of moving the African Diaspora to positive, affirmative action regarding their mental health,” explained Eric Nzeribe, FunTimes publisher. We’re working to establish a 988 Diaspora Coalition and advisory committee to assist us in reaching diaspora communities in the region. We also want to engage local Black mental health professionals that can speak to the public on issues that specifically affect the mental health of people of African descent. FunTimes took on this challenge because we realized the importance and impact of the sweeping mental health crisis on our communities. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help.”
FunTimes kicked off the campaign last month by hosting “Shattering the Stigma” – a webinar discussing mental wellness solutions and support in diaspora communities.
The pandemic shut down the nation, caused people to lose jobs, income, and loved ones to coronavirus. It increased poverty and food insecurity, disrupted education, spread fear, included a big dose of overt racism like back in the 1950s, and resulted in increased depression and anxiety in diaspora communities.
“At this point, I believe about two-fifths of Black people meet criteria for anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Evan Auguste, spokesperson for the Association of Black Psychologists that practice Black liberation psychology, in a news report, “that was found in the Association of Black Psychologists needs assessment that was completed during the pandemic.”
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group of 16 independent medical experts, recently released a report which found that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses and impact 40 million adults in the nation each year. The task force also found that Black people have a higher risk of anxiety disorders due to social factors, including racism, rather than genetics.
Black therapists and other mental health professionals say the issues that Black patients are facing go beyond the stress of the pandemic and in many cases, stem from generational trauma. Mental Health America, the nation’s leading national nonprofit dedicated to the promotion of mental health agreed. Its annual State of Mental Health in America report said the Black experience in America has been and continues to be characterized by generational trauma and violence more often than for their white counterparts and impacts the emotional and mental health of both youth and adults. Throughout American history, Black people have suffered physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological trauma during the enslavement, Reconstruction, government-sanctioned Jim Crow segregation, and the Civil Rights era into the Prison-Industrial Complex. Both overt and covert acts of racism can take the form of microaggressions. Experiencing frequent microaggressions can result in chronic stress and anger, which can lead to negative mental and physical health consequences.
Despite progress made over the years, racism continues to have a negative impact on the mental and physical health of Black people. Historical adversity includes race-based exclusion from health, educational, social, and economic resources and results in the socioeconomic disparities experienced by Black people today. Socioeconomic status is linked to mental health. Impoverished people are at higher risk for poor mental health.
Barriers remain regarding access to quality care. Those barriers are:
• Stigma associated with mental illness
• Distrust of the health care system
• Lack of providers from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds
• Lack of culturally competent providers
• Lack of insurance or underinsurance
According to the American Psychiatric Association, other barriers to Black patients seeking mental healthcare include disparities that exist in mental healthcare services. Black patients often receive poor quality care and lack access to culturally-competent care compared to the general population. Black patients are less likely to be offered evidence-based medication therapy or psychotherapy. Differences in how Black patients express symptoms of emotional distress may contribute to misdiagnosis. Physician-patient communication differs for Black and white patients. One study found that physicians were 23% more verbally dominant and engaged in 33% less patient-centered communication with Black patients than with white patients.
These facts have spurred the 988 Diaspora Campaign to develop a listing of local culturally-competent mental healthcare providers in addition to promoting the use of the 988 Lifeline. “We want to make sure our people are well-received and respected by healthcare providers,” Nzeribe said. “This is why we are seeking to connect with Black mental health professionals. Hopefully, this will encourage people to seek the care they need.”
The 988 Lifeline is also being promoted as an alternative to calling 911 when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, which often has negative results for Black people when the police arrive. Recent cases of police brutality are reminders of continued racial oppression and biases against Black people nationwide.
Being stressed and depressed are often the result of being oppressed. “Our campaign wants to get out the message that if you or a loved one are angry, stressed, depressed, anxious, or going through a mental health crisis, don’t call the police,” stated Nzeribe. “Call, chat, or text 988 instead. Competent, compassionate mental health professionals are there to listen and help solve your issue. Help is available. We’ve got your back!”
