What Black History Month can teach us about mental health

October marks Black History month in the UK. In this post, we explore how race, racism and mental health intersect among Black people living in the UK.

History often tells us more about our present than our past. It’s the thread that inextricably binds together what was, what is, and what will be, and provides the lens through which we view our experiences as humans.

“We are not makers of history. We are made by history,” Martin Luther King once noted in a sermon in 1963. And while Dr King’s words may be almost six decades old, they feel especially relevant right now, as the UK marks Black History Month in the midst of Covid-19.

Founded in 1987, Black History Month, which takes place each October, is a month-long celebration of the many contributions Black people have made to the UK. It’s an acknowledgement that these achievements have been chronically underrepresented throughout history, and an attempt to redress the many times that they have been sidestepped at an institutional level, such as in classrooms, cultural institutions, and workplaces.

In the mental health field, people who identify as Black have historically experienced discrimination and negative bias on the grounds of race. But why is this happening – and how does it impact mental ill-health among Black people? Here are three things you should know.

Racism is damaging to mental health

When who you are, your race, and your identity are questioned and used against you on a daily basis, it should come as no surprise that this will have a negative impact on your mental health. Yet this is the reality for Black people all over the world, who face discrimination, both in the form of interpersonal racism, and embedded in our social structures that limit their ability to thrive, in the form of systemic racism. Over time, repeated exposure to discrimination, minority stress and racism can manifest in mental ill-health, including anxiety and depression.

Black people are less likely to receive adequate support for their mental health

Discrimination and racism are only part of the problem. Decades of academic research shows that Black people have found it more difficult to get the right support when accessing mental health services – experiencing delayed referrals, for example. And when they did seek help, doctors were less likely to refer them to specialist mental health services, and more likely to prescribe medication, rather than offering psychological interventions such as counselling.

Black people are more likely to be detained on mental health grounds

Discrimination can come in many forms – and while many Black people experience mental health bias in the support and outcomes they receive, they also experience it in crisis care. According to a 2019 report compiled by the NHS, Black people are four times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act in the UK as compared with White people. They’re also eight times more likely to receive a Community Treatment Order binding them to undergo medical or psychological intervention.

Throughout October, we’ll be shining a light on the connections between race, stigma and mental health, including a webinar celebration and a Q&A from leading UK psychologist Dr Fabienne Palmer. Stay tuned for more.