Disparities in Mental Health Care
While mental health care has often been seen as a luxury in the past, it’s now recognized as an essential service for all citizens of a functioning society. Psychological health is heavily intertwined with physical health, and for communities to flourish mental health services must be accessible, affordable, and adequate. Unfortunately, the American mental health care system meets the needs of some individuals better than others, and leaves many communities with deficient mental health care operations. In this blog, we’ll discuss the disparities in the American mental health care system and then explore potential responses that could reduce inequality and improve mental health outcomes.
By and large, racial and ethnic minorities are dramatically underserved in the mental health care system. Americans who identify as Black, Indiginous, or people of color (BIPOC) are less likely to have access to mental health services and/or receive needed care, and are more likely to receive poor quality of care (1). There is also underrepresentation of minority populations among mental health care professionals: “approximately 86% of psychologists are white, and less than 2% of American Psychological Association members are African American (Counseling Today).”
In addition, the systemic socioeconomic inequalities that minority populations already face magnify health care disparities, increasing the prevalence of mental health disorders while decreasing the percentage of individuals who have health insurance. Black Americans are over twice as likely as white Americans to live below the poverty line (2), and rising costs for insurance and mental health treatment can make proper care inaccessible for economically disadvantaged populations.
Mental health care disparities in America constitute a serious and widespread problem but can be lessened through direct, efficient action. One of the most important steps to improve mental health care for minority populations is increasing the amount of culturally and linguistically adequate mental health care services and making them accessible to majority-minority communities. One way to accomplish this goal is to increase public and private funding for mental health training programs that focus on serving minority populations. Another crucial step is to improve communication between mental health care providers, treatment professionals, community leaders, community members, and government agencies (3).Â
Citations:
