Because African Americans are less likely to seek mental health services, they are also less likely to receive the correct diagnosis or treatment.
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Though attitudes are changing slowly, many people still don’t like to talk about mental illness. Yet, the National Institute of Mental Health reports that an estimated 26.2 percent of Americans 18 and older (about one in four adults) suffer from some kind of mental illness. It’s also the leading cause of disability in the U.S. Mental illness can describe different disorders from schizophrenia to anxiety to depression. Depression can often go hand-in-hand with other disorders. It can also occur at any point in the lifespan.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in 10 Americans suffers from depression each year. Everyone has days when she or he just feels sad or “blue,” especially during our region’s long, cold winters. But, depression is more than that. It’s a serious mental illness that affects a person’s thoughts, feelings, behavior, mood and physical health for longer than a couple of weeks. It isn’t caused by one single thing.
Freddie Allen is the Editor-In-Chief of the NNPA Newswire and BlackPressUSA.com. Focused on Black people stuff, positively. You should follow Freddie on Twitter and Instagram @freddieallenjr.
