Well, to shift gears a bit, depression, anxiety, talking about how you feel is often taboo in minority communities. Dr. Frank Clark, a psychiatrist at Prisma Health, says this contributes to the mental health crisis. There is a distrust and mistrust in the health care system in historically marginalized communities, and a lot of that has to do with structural racism. You can look back to the Tuskegee Experiments. Look at the case of Henrietta Lacks. The list goes on. July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and Dr. Clark says he encourages others to learn about Black, Indigenous and other people of color. Throughout the year. He says a growing concern for all his patients right now is financial hardship, with people caught between paying their mortgage or paying for their medications. He says the lack of a diverse workforce also contributes to the prejudice. I think there is a sense, especially for black men, that if they talk about their feelings, it will de-affirm their manhood. According to the CDC, experiencing or witnessing racism or racial violence can lead to stress, racial trauma, and poverty in underserved areas, and low income can limit access to mental health care, says Dr. Clark. If you can’t reach out to your doctor, there are resources like NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Phoenix Center, and the 988 National Suicide Hotline, which are available 24/7. Dr. Clark recommends talking to your doctor first if you’re not comfortable with these resources. As most patients with chronic pain and depression have some form of cardiovascular disease, Dr. Clark says people of color have some form of trauma, just like their ancestors, and it’s important for all of us to seek help.
Destigmatizing mental health discussions for BIPOC in South Carolina
July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and Dr. Frank Clark encourages people to learn about Black, Native American, and other people of color throughout the year. “As people of color who come from historically marginalized communities, there’s still a lot of mistrust and distrust in the health care system,” said Dr. Clark, an outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health. “And a lot of that has to do with structural racism. You go back to the Tuskegee Experiments, you look at the Henrietta Lacks case, the list goes on.” Dr. Clark says depression, anxiety, talking about your emotions is often taboo in minority communities. It’s one of many factors that contribute to what he calls a mental health crisis. “Any doctor should always be looking at head-to-toe health care. And we tend to say separate things. I think it’s because people really misunderstand what health is,” he adds. July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and Clark encourages people to learn about Black, Native American, and other people of color throughout the year. He says a growing concern for all patients right now is financial hardship, having to choose between paying their mortgage and paying for their medications. Clark says the lack of a diverse workforce also plays a part in why minorities don’t seek help. “Most of the patients I see are Medicaid or Medicare. So you might say they have insurance, and that’s great. But a lot of psychiatrists don’t take new patients who are on Medicaid or Medicare in terms of insurance. It’s a problem. I understand why, because our reimbursement rates are pretty low compared to my peers and other specialties. So I totally acknowledge and understand that. But at the same time, we’re missing a large portion of the population that needs help. And when they don’t get help, we see the progression of illness. Mental illnesses, including substance use disorders, can be persistent and chronic,” Clark says. Clark also says people of color have suffered some trauma, like their ancestors, and it’s important for all of us to seek help. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says experiencing or witnessing racism or racial violence can lead to stress and racial trauma. Poverty and low income in underserved areas can also limit access to mental health care. Clark says if you don’t have a family doctor, there are resources like NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), the Phoenix Center, and the 988 National Suicide Hotline (24/7). Most of Clark’s chronic pain and depression patients have some kind of cardiovascular disease, so if you’re unsure about these resources, he says a good place to start is with your family doctor. “A lot of people forget how much of a difference being kind can make in anyone’s life,” Clark says.
July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and Dr. Frank Clark says he encourages people to learn about Black, Indigenous and other people of colour all year round.
“As people of color who come from historically marginalized communities, we still have a lot of mistrust and distrust in the health care system,” said Clark, the outpatient psychiatrist at Prisma Health, “and a lot of that has to do with structural racism. You go back to the Tuskegee experiments, you look at the case of Henrietta Lacks, and the list goes on.”
Clark says talking about depression, anxiety and one’s emotions is often taboo in minority communities, one of many factors that contribute to what he calls a mental health crisis.
“Any doctor should always be looking at health care from head to toe. And we tend to talk about two different things. I think that’s because people have a misconception about what health is,” he added.
July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and Clark encourages people to learn about Black, Indigenous and other people of color throughout the year. A growing concern for all patients right now is financial hardship, forcing them to choose between paying their mortgage or paying for their medications, Clark said. A lack of a diverse workforce also contributes to minorities not seeking help, Clark said.
“Most of the patients I see are on Medicaid or Medicare, so you might say they have insurance, and that’s great. But a lot of psychiatrists won’t accept new patients who are on Medicaid or Medicare, insurance-wise. And that’s a problem, and I understand why, because our reimbursement rates are so low compared to my colleagues and other specialties. So I completely acknowledge and understand that. But at the same time, we’re missing a large portion of the population that needs help. And when they don’t get help, we see the progression of the illness. We know that mental illness, including substance use disorders, can be persistent and chronic,” Clark says.
He also said that people of color have experienced some trauma just like our ancestors and it’s important for us all to seek help.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says experiencing or witnessing racism or racial violence can cause stress and racial trauma. Poverty and low income in underserved areas can also limit access to mental health care.
If you don’t have a family doctor, Clark says resources like NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), the Phoenix Center and the 988 National Suicide Hotline are available 24/7.
If you’re unsure about these resources, Clark says talking to your doctor is the best place to start, as most of his patients with chronic pain and depression also have some form of cardiovascular disease.
“A lot of people forget what it means to be kind. Kindness can make a big difference in anyone’s life,” Clark said.
