Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsThe Minority Mental Health Treatment GapWhy Health Literacy Matters—We Don’t Know What We Don’t KnowHow Can We Improve Health Literacy in Communities of Color?How to Improve Your Health LiteracyNext in The Other Side of Stigma GuideHow Awareness of Epigenetics and Generational Trauma Can Inform Therapy

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The Minority Mental Health Treatment Gap

Why Health Literacy Matters—We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

How Can We Improve Health Literacy in Communities of Color?

How to Improve Your Health Literacy

Next in The Other Side of Stigma Guide

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We know that when we feel sick, we need medicine. We also know if medicine doesn’t work or our symptoms persist, it may be time to go see a doctor. However, a world of wellness exists beyond this basic knowledge—this is where health literacy comes in.

Health literacy not only involves knowing when to get help when we’re experiencing either physical or mental health symptoms, but it also looks at the complex system that exists when it comes to getting support for our well-being.

Health literacy is a term developed in the 1970s that refers to one’s understanding of health maintenance.Health literacy not only involves knowing when to get help when we’re experiencing either physical or mental health symptoms, but it also looks at the complex system that exists when it comes to getting support for our well-being. An individual and community’s health literacy impacts their ability to find, understand, and utilize services and resources to make health-related decisions and take action for themselves and others.

Having proficient health literacy encapsulates the degree to which people can comprehend different medical and mental health conditions and treatment options, navigateinsurance coverageand medical billing, find alternative ways to access andpay for therapy, and know when it’s time to seek additional help. It also involves being able to find, understand, and choose which resources will best be able to provide care for you when you do seek out treatment.

Unfortunately, research shows there are low rates of health literacy inBIPOC communities(aka communities of color). This ultimately leads to diminished access to care.

To begin to understand why health literacy within communities of color is an issue, we must first acknowledge theminority mental health treatment gap.

Understand the Minority Mental Health Treatment Gap

The Gap in Mental and Medical Healthcare Stems From Decades of Systemic Inequities in the U.S.

Our nation’s legacy of racism and discrimination has trickled into issues with how mental and medical healthcare is offered to communities of color.

Tristian Mitchell, LCSWMuch like most … systems in this country, the healthcare system (including physical and mental) was not designed to serveBIPOCcommunities.

Tristian Mitchell, LCSW

Much like most … systems in this country, the healthcare system (including physical and mental) was not designed to serveBIPOCcommunities.

For example, there are several factors at play that contribute to poor health literacy in BIPOC communities including:

“Much like most … systems in this country, the healthcare system (including physical and mental) was not designed to serveBIPOCcommunities,” shares licensed clinical social workerTristian Mitchell, LCSW. He contextualized this issue using a Critical Race Theory (CRT) tenet called ‘critique of liberalism.’

Hard Work Does Not Always Equal Success

In turn, this perpetuates an ongoing pattern of systemic issues that keep minority individuals ill and unable to access or even be aware of proper treatment methods.

Community- and Personal-Level Factors Affecting Health Literacy

Communal factors impacting the minority mental health treatment gap are directly linked to systemic issues:

The ongoing pattern of systemic issues that keep minority individuals ill and unable to access or even be aware of proper treatment methods.

Personal and interpersonal factors speak to the struggles in relationships folks of color may experience when seeking out care. For instance, stigma can serve as yet another barrier to care. Yet, stigma is rooted in a lack of information about mental health.

How to Heal From Intergenerational Trauma With Holistic Psychologist Mariel Buqué

“As a BIPOC therapist who has worked in community health, I’ve witnessed firsthand howsystemic oppressionprofoundly affects the health literacy of our communities,” explains Dial.

“Cultural and language differences, along with disparities in education, present challenges ineffective communication, understanding health information, and navigating the healthcare system,” Dial continues.

If one isn’t aware that they’re experiencing a mental health issue, they aren’t going to seek out treatment.

What Happens When People Lack Health Literacy?

When we lack health literacy, we may be left with stereotypes and misinformation, like therapy is only for a certain type of person, or that religion is an adequate replacement for treatment.

Mitchell explains that health literacy can build a bridge between misinformation andstigmasto the truth. “The fact of the matter is that when we know better, we do better,” he states.

Health literacy is much more complicated than simply handing out flyers or giving local talks. To help a community develop health literacy, we must pay special attention tocultural differences. This may include language, dialect, and community beliefs around mental health.

A Community-Participatory Approach

Engaging community members in developing health initiatives can ensure the voices of the oppressed are heard when creating a solution.

But what exactly does this kind of approach look like? Well, according to Mitchell, a community participatory approach is best. With this approach, those who hold the power and privilege partner with communities that are suffering from the systemic issue at hand to identify and implement solutions. “This is the pathway to effective and sustainable change,” he asserts.

How Does Community Involvement Minimizes Systemic Inequities?Dial shared that community involvement can increase trust, create meaningful relationships, and ultimately provide targeted health education and resources, thus promoting overall health literacy.She also suggested campaigns that tackle myths and stigma while providing accurate information about prevalent health issues in the BIPOC community can help individuals take an active role in their own well-being.

How Does Community Involvement Minimizes Systemic Inequities?

Dial shared that community involvement can increase trust, create meaningful relationships, and ultimately provide targeted health education and resources, thus promoting overall health literacy.She also suggested campaigns that tackle myths and stigma while providing accurate information about prevalent health issues in the BIPOC community can help individuals take an active role in their own well-being.

Dial shared that community involvement can increase trust, create meaningful relationships, and ultimately provide targeted health education and resources, thus promoting overall health literacy.

She also suggested campaigns that tackle myths and stigma while providing accurate information about prevalent health issues in the BIPOC community can help individuals take an active role in their own well-being.

How Do We Create Change That Actually Sticks?

Lasting change must include shifts to systemic structures. “Policymakers should advocate for policies that support equitable access to healthcare and funding for culturally appropriate health education initiatives,” says Dial. This approach doesn’t only fall onto mental healthcare professionals.

Real and sustainable change occurs when the most privileged (meaning access to socio-economic and educational resources), help uplift their own communities).

CBT May Not Be the Best Fit For Black Patients Seeking Therapy

Improving my health literacy gave me the courage to confidently walk along my path to wellness.

Years beforeI became a therapist, I was skeptical of the idea of mental health treatment, because as aBlack woman, going to therapy wasn’t normalized. I thought that therapy was only for times when something was terribly wrong. It didn’t help that I was unaware of what mental illness could look like. In fact, I had no clue that I’d been operating withhigh-functioning anxietyand depression!

In my journey of healing, I became empowered with the knowledge that I wasn’t broken. I learned that I could change therapists if I felt unheard at any time. And I learned that there were plenty of treatment modalities for me to choose from. Improving my health literacy in this way, gave me the courage to confidently walk along my path to wellness.

Start Small By Asking Questions and Doing Your Research

Mitchell encourages folks to reach out to their insurance providers to ask what services are available to them.

He also recommends familiarizing yourself with community-based organizations in your neighborhood that focus on health promotion and disease prevention efforts, underscoring the importance of both physical and mental health.

Therapy Options for BIPOC Communities

If you learn that therapy can be beneficial to you, there are several directories people of color can turn to:

If you’re looking for more cost-effective options, the following resources offer therapy funds, meaning you can apply to receive the funding you can apply towards therapy sessions:

Other Resources

What This Means For YouRemember that your healing is your birthright. Everyone’s journey to mental wellness is personal and learning more about the resources available is one of the first steps to improving your health literacy. Remember that you’re never alone and that there are organizations and people who are willing and able to step up and advocate for you.

What This Means For You

Remember that your healing is your birthright. Everyone’s journey to mental wellness is personal and learning more about the resources available is one of the first steps to improving your health literacy. Remember that you’re never alone and that there are organizations and people who are willing and able to step up and advocate for you.

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Liu C, Wang D, Liu C, et al.What is the meaning of health literacy? A systematic review and qualitative synthesis.Fam Med Com Health. 2020;8(2):e000351.Eneanya ND, Winter M, Cabral H, et al.Health literacy and education as mediators of racial disparities in patient activation within an elderly patient cohort.J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2016;27(3):1427-1440.Mongelli F, Georgakopoulos P, Pato MT.Challenges and opportunities to meet the mental health needs of underserved and disenfranchised populations in the united states.Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2020;18(1):16-24.Mental Health America.Racial Trauma.

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Liu C, Wang D, Liu C, et al.What is the meaning of health literacy? A systematic review and qualitative synthesis.Fam Med Com Health. 2020;8(2):e000351.Eneanya ND, Winter M, Cabral H, et al.Health literacy and education as mediators of racial disparities in patient activation within an elderly patient cohort.J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2016;27(3):1427-1440.Mongelli F, Georgakopoulos P, Pato MT.Challenges and opportunities to meet the mental health needs of underserved and disenfranchised populations in the united states.Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2020;18(1):16-24.Mental Health America.Racial Trauma.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Liu C, Wang D, Liu C, et al.What is the meaning of health literacy? A systematic review and qualitative synthesis.Fam Med Com Health. 2020;8(2):e000351.Eneanya ND, Winter M, Cabral H, et al.Health literacy and education as mediators of racial disparities in patient activation within an elderly patient cohort.J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2016;27(3):1427-1440.Mongelli F, Georgakopoulos P, Pato MT.Challenges and opportunities to meet the mental health needs of underserved and disenfranchised populations in the united states.Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2020;18(1):16-24.Mental Health America.Racial Trauma.

Liu C, Wang D, Liu C, et al.What is the meaning of health literacy? A systematic review and qualitative synthesis.Fam Med Com Health. 2020;8(2):e000351.

Eneanya ND, Winter M, Cabral H, et al.Health literacy and education as mediators of racial disparities in patient activation within an elderly patient cohort.J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2016;27(3):1427-1440.

Mongelli F, Georgakopoulos P, Pato MT.Challenges and opportunities to meet the mental health needs of underserved and disenfranchised populations in the united states.Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2020;18(1):16-24.

Mental Health America.Racial Trauma.

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