Four Ways To Celebrate Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

We are officially in July, and although there are a few special occasions this month, including Independence Day and Canada Day, we are going to focus on Minority Mental Health Awareness.

The importance of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is to educate and destigmatize the mental health disparities faced by people in racial or ethnic minority groups. According to an article by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) racial and ethnic minorities tend to lack access to, availability, and quality of mental health services due to transportation issues, racial bias and discrimination in treatment settings, and a lack of adequate healthcare coverage.

Although there’s a lot to unpack when it comes to this topic, I believe it is vital for everyone to be aware of this celebration because it is not as recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month.

In honor of this critical subject matter, here are four ways you can celebrate Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.

1. Educate Yourself

There is a lot of information online concerning mental health among racial and ethnic groups. Most of the articles I found provided data from surveys and statistics done on each minority group to see which group experienced suicidal ideation, a depressive episode, had a serious mental illness, or took their own life.

If reading articles like that are not your thing, you can check out YouTube videos, such as this one from the National Press Foundation that give you this same information more quickly.

2. Spread awareness

If you want to spread awareness or share your passion for mental health with the world, what better way to do it, but through social media? If you have Instagram, you can follow many accounts that offer good advice and vital information on all things related to mental health.

Some of the accounts that I follow include Sad Girls Club, Therapy for Latinx, Black Mental Health Matters, and The Asian Mental Health Project. Since we are usually unaware of what others go through behind closed doors, you never know what impact you can have on someone’s day or life if you decide to repost information about mental health on your social media.

3. Make a donation

There are many mental health organizations out there that you, your family, and friends can support or donate to. The organizations I am most familiar with include Silence the Shame, Asian Mental Health Collective, National Indian Health Board, and National Alliance for Hispanic Health.

4. Register for an online mental health event

Although there’s a plethora of information online concerning mental health, it might be easier to attend an online event, so you can hear what others have to say about this subject.

Many professionals can offer up information on mental health disorders, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, that many people might not be aware of.

Unfortunately, many TV-shows and movies, such as “The Roommate” and “Deadly Illusions,” not only portray people with these disorders and illnesses in a harmful light, but they are also rarely told from the perspective of a non-white character. However, I believe many mental health professionals will give you a better perspective on what it is like living with a disorder such as Schizophrenia to show that there is more to it than what we see on our TV and movie screens.

Finally, as someone who has struggled with their mental health for years now, I want to continue to spread awareness and educate myself on all things related to mental health, so we can put an end to stigmatizing mental health disorders and illnesses. I hope you will take these suggestions into consideration and take some time this month to learn something new about this topic and better support those belonging to marginalized groups.

Illustrations by Romina Karegar