Advocacy is so important for all people and all families. Today, we are focusing on the importance of advocacy in the Black community, specifically related to mental health. For Black children, it is especially important to help parents prepare their kids to advocate for themselves and better understand their own mental health.
Why is Black mental health an important topic?
The Black community often faces structural challenges accessing the care and treatment that they need. Most of the time due to the structural challenges Blacks are less likely to seek the care that they need or even report the symptoms they have. It is more common to dismiss symptoms that are experienced. Countless research articles indicate that Black Americans are more likely to report psychological distress but less likely to seek services. For older generations (baby boomers), seeking even general care was taboo unless there was a medical concern that could be physically seen (broken arm, vomiting, etc.) Such complaints as chronic stomach aches or even chronic headaches were viewed as minor and easily dismissed. Knowingly, these symptoms can be roots to serious or preventable medical conditions. This concept is equally applied to the mental health realm in the Black community.
While it may be more common to seek general care rather than specialized care such as mental health professionals. There are negative views of mental health that currently present themselves in the United States and have for many years. In the Black community, the views are even more negatively viewed. Often Black people are more likely to believe that a mental health condition is a sign of weakness. The feeling of weakness can correlate to the feeling of shame and anxiety related to how their peers or even family members will view them. These cultural views are valued across economic statuses. This is especially true for Black parents who may resist seeking help for their children.
Parents
It is very important to check your own bias and how you feel about mental health and why you have this view. Your view about overall mental health will ultimately impact your child. Why is this important for advocacy? Let’s think for a second if you view mental health negatively it is more likely that you will struggle to find value in discussing the topic with your child and teaching them the importance of advocating for themselves, especially given the racial bias that they will experience. If your child has experienced symptoms of a mental health concern they will have difficulty communicating their experience to their parents or may even minimize their symptoms. Opening the lines of communication with your child will reduce the bias around mental health and allows children to feel accepted for their challenges.
What does advocating look like?
- Talk about what mental health is
- Regularly discuss emotions
- Rate the severity of the feeling
- Model how to communicate emotions to other adults
- If your child has a diagnosis, teach them about their challenges (this does not require a label)
At Dandelion Family Counseling
We focus on:
- Helping parents understand areas where their child may struggle
- Increasing communication between parent and child
- Provide educational diagnosis that does not focus on simply labeling your child
- We specialize in areas of ADHD, ASD, and Gifted Children
- We have a cultural competent team
If you have concerns or questions about better understanding your child’s mental health seek a mental health professional for support.