In late May, the House of Representatives passed H.Con. Res. 134, a resolution that expresses support for designating July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Campbell, a noted author of Afro-American fiction, wrote three New York Times Best Sellers: Brothers and Sisters, Singing in the Comeback Choir, and What You Owe Me, an LA Times “Best Book” of 2001. She also wrote a children’s book, Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry, published in September 2003. The book, which tells the story of a little girl whose mother is mentally ill, won the NAMI Outstanding Literature Award for 2003. Campbell, a cofounder of NAMI Urban Los Angeles, died of cancer in November 2006.
Minorities Receive Less Care
The status of mental health among minorities is but one aspect of the work of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). According to a recent report by the Surgeon General, people of color, both adults and children, are not as likely as whites to receive mental health care. The communities listed are African American, Asian American and Pacific Islanders, Latino/Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaska Native. A recent NAMI article states, “The four identified communities face additional barriers such as poverty, lack of service and supports, pervasive stigma and prejudice, language barriers and lack of cultural competence in service delivery.” To counter these problems, NAMI has established a Multicultural Action Center. It now offers materials in four languages: Chinese, Spanish, Italian and Portugese.
NAMI - A Player
NAMI was founded in 1979. It has affiliates in every state and in more than 1,100 communities across the U.S. According to a press release, “NAMI is dedicated to the eradication of mental illnesses and to the improvement of the quality of life for persons of all ages who are affected by mental illnesses.” NAMI provides support, education, and advocacy through a variety of activities, ranging from a web site and Helpline, to support groups and Action Centers. Included is MAC, the Multicultural Action Center.
Cultural Differences
According to California NAMI, quoting Richard A. Sherer, “A Healthy Place,” while minorities are no more or less likely than whites to suffer from mental illness, they face countless difficulties that prevent them from receiving proper treatment. In a 2002 report, then-U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, M.D., wrote, “The cultures from which people hail affect all aspects of mental health and illness.” Culture determines how individuals and families respond to mental illness, how they cope with it, and how willing they are to seek treatment.
For example, there are differences within minority groups. A Hispanic from Cuba would respond differently than a Hispanic from Mexico. An American Indian, though lumped together in a group with Alaskan Natives, would respond differently than they would.
In addition, diverse groups face different challenges. “African-Americans are more likely to suffer from a broad range of physical diseases” than their white counterparts. American Indians, says the report “are five times more likely to die from cancer and heart disease.”
Poverty: A Common Tie
However, one challenge that all groups have in common is poverty. According to the report, “Minorities face a social and economic environment of inequality that includes greater exposure to racism, discrimination, violence and poverty.” It continues, “Living in poverty has the most measurable affect on the rates of mental illness. People in the lowest stratum of income . . .are about two to three times more likely than those in the highest stratum to have a mental disorder.”
NAMI is trying to address these concerns through its Multicultural Action Center.
A Call for Attention
By declaring July Bebe Moore Campbell month, the House of Representatives seeks to bring attention to mental illness among minorities. The Bill has proceeded to the Senate, where, the NAMI report states, debate may take place on a companion bill, rather than this one.
