Melanin Minds for Houston Matters with Craig Cohen

From HoustonPublicMedia.org:

Why communities of color are less likely to seek out mental health services. Organizers of the Melanin Minds Mental Health Conference in Houston point to several reasons.

According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration data from 2020, only 37 percent of Black American adults have received mental health care services of any kind. A 2021 survey found only 36 percent of Latino or Hispanic adults had sought out such services. That compared to 51 percent of White Americans. And the FDA cites 2018 data suggesting Asian Americans were 60 percent less likely then to receive mental health treatment than White Americans.

Obstacles to receiving mental health services can include a lack of health insurance, less access to treatment, and stigma.

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. It was established in honor of the late author, journalist, and mental health advocate Bebe Moore Campbell, whose daughter struggled to seek out mental health care services.

This subject will be front and center today and through Sunday at the annual Melanin Minds Conference in downtown Houston, which aims to help Houstonians address mental health concerns. In the audio above, conference co-founders LaGina Harris and Melissa Mel join Houston Matters as we discuss mental health within minority communities.