Ryan C. Warner Ph.D., CRC
Leadership, Diversity, and Wellness
Black MENtal Health
4 tips to help with the barriers.
Posted May 14, 2021
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Source: Pexels/Jimmy Burton
While mental health challenges affect everyone, Black men may face additional psychosocial stressors. A lack of community, structure, and social supportlate the arrival of the pandemic, as well as the fact that re-entering the world in a fractured and dangerous way is often imitated, compared to mentees of color who remain in shock and pain.
co-mingling of trauma with general societal stressors can trigger anxiety, depression, and substance use, as well as eating disorders, bulimia, and similar and complex disorders. While most of us generally don't think of these problems as both psychological and behavioral, they are often intertwined.
When it comes to Black men, NOPAS President and Program Officer Malik Shihur told me, “It is not only about the virus. It is about the way that the community treats the police.”
Shihur is just one organization that cites the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine. In a press release, the Centers for Disease Control describes the vaccine as “the most important health measure of our time.” By spreading the vaccine among long-range contacts, the COVID-19 vaccine is contributing to the global spread of this disease.
The question is why among organizations and people with diverse needs and desires, there is such a marked divide over the choices of spreading the vaccine?
The vaccine itself has been hyped as the ultimate solution to manifestations of racial injustice. The division between the sexes is further enhanced when the concept of social infertility is added to the mix. Social infertility is a term that refers to the non-existence of sexual organs or reproductive organs that may not be covered by public health practice. Sexual fertility, which is a separate concept from infertility, is widely covered when it comes to race. However, the term social infertility does not refer to gender-specific medical procedures.
To add to the issue, researchers also need to understand the context in which the pandemic is experienced. According to the CDC, the natural course of a pandemic is a “biological tsunami” in terms of both the size and nature of the virus. In other words, the size and nature of the virus determines the nature of the outbreak. Social events, like lockdowns and quarantines, can have a direct impact on individuals as well as the communities through whom they may be interconnected.
In order to understand the disparate reactions around the pandemic, it may not be necessary to go back to the CDC. For the record, they released the following statement in response to a question regarding the CDC’s response to the pandemic:
CDC is disappointed in the limited amount of data we have received from our listening efforts during the pandemic. We had hoped to hear and understand the perspectives of others, and our data confirmed what a lot of people have been feeling around the clock.
CDC Response:
CDC Response:
We are committed to releasing more data as the crisis evolves, and we will be sure to keep you posted on the developments.
So as we enter 2021, let’s look at the statistics and see what we have been learning.
The Numbers:
According to the CDC, between the ages of 16 and 24, an estimated 4 in 8 adults in the United States have reported they are unhappy with their current or part of their life. About 63 percent of all respondents said they had made or received a threat of physical or verbal violence, or 23 percent reported a credible punch to the head. For women, 76 percent of women reported a credible punch to the head. For men, 66 percent of men reported a credible punch to the head.
The youth are experiencing the most distress
Out of 5 to 8 in U.S. households between the ages of 17-35, the most recently released data has them struggling with anxiety, depression, and emotional contentment. Those numbers are roughly in line with other studies showing that the most heavily affected are young, living in the most distressed communities, and bearing the most adverse consequences.
Most affective disorders are preventable, treatment-resistant, and can be rapidly implemented with few adverse consequences.