July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month (also called BIPOC Mental Health Month). BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous and People of Color,
In 2008, Congress passed a resolution that established the month of July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to bring awareness to the unique struggles that minority groups face regarding mental illness in the US. Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.
The Black community, and truly all communities, can engage in four activities to help get rid of the stigma around mental illness:
1) Gather Information – Stigma stems from a lack of knowledge, and the best way to fight a gap in information is by educating others in our community.
2) Speak Up – in our community, we often equate strength with being silent and stoic – and that speaking up and asking for help is weakness. Living with a mental illness doesn’t define anyone, nor does it limit anyone’s abilities.
3) Remain Open – As more Black people open up about living with a mental illness, the closer we will get to dismantling the stigma in our community. This sometimes causes people to not seek appropriate medical help.
4) Believe People – Believing people when they say they have a mental illness is vital to eradicating stigma. Being dismissive dissuades people from coming forward with how they are truly feeling.
We must do better and be better when it comes to supporting other Black people living with mental illnesses.