Mental illness is cause for concern and outrage, not laughter

I write this post with a heavy heart because the catalyst for it stems from the recent coverage of Maia Campbell and the similarities between her life and that of someone I love but is no longer with us. And while this is not about Ms. Campbell specifically, before continuing my post please read the statement issued by her family so that you can get a full understanding of her situation.

Mental illness can have devastating effects on an individual and on those who are close to him/her. I watched as my friend, Kenya, struggled to get her life under control. I was helpless as males took advantage of her and were misogynistic to her much like those who appeared in the video of Maia Campbell floating around the web. Her so-called friends whispered about her, telling tales of her nymphomania and deceit. She left a trail of lies behind her, and ultimately, when she passed no one knew what was fact and was fiction. She left behind children, siblings, parents, cousins, and true friends who mourned the loss of the Kenya they knew before the illness took over.

So, I wanted to share some facts about mental illness in the Black Community based on findings from Mental Health: Culture, Race, Ethnicity, a report from the Surgeon General.

• Need for Services: For African Americans who live in the community, rates of mental illness appear to be similar to those for whites. In one study, this similarity was found before, and in another study, after controlling for differences in income, education, and marital status. But African Americans are overrepresented in vulnerable, high-need populations because of homelessness, incarceration, and, for children, placement in foster care. The rates of mental illness in high-need populations are much higher.
• Availability of Services: “Safety net” providers furnish a disproportionate share of mental health care to African Americans. The financial viability of such providers is threatened as a result of the national transformation in financing of health care over the past two decades. A jeopardized safety net reduces availability of care to African Americans. Further, there are very few African American mental health specialists for those who prefer specialists of their own race or ethnicity.
• Access to Services: African Americans have less access to mental health services than do whites. Less access results, in part, from lack of health insurance, especially for working poor who do not qualify for public coverage and who work in jobs that do not provide private health coverage. About 25 percent of African Americans are uninsured. Yet better insurance coverage by itself is not sufficient to eliminate disparities in access because many African Americans with adequate private coverage still are less inclined to use services.
• Utilization of Services: African Americans with mental health needs are less likely than whites to receive treatment. If treated, they are likely to have sought help in primary care, as opposed to mental health specialty care. They frequently receive mental health care in emergency rooms and in psychiatric hospitals. They are overrepresented in these settings partly because they delay seeking treatment until their symptoms are more severe.
• Appropriateness and Outcomes of Services: For certain disorders (e.g., schizophrenia and mood disorders), errors in diagnosis are made more often for African Americans than for whites. The limited body of research suggests that, when receiving care for appropriate diagnoses, African Americans respond as favorably as do whites. Increasing evidence suggests that, in clinical settings, African Americans are less likely than whites to receive evidence-based care in accordance with professional treatment guidelines.

In addition, the study says that:

• African Americans tend to be diagnosed more frequently with schizophrenia and less frequently with affective disorders. In addition, one study found that 27% of blacks compared to 44% of whites received antidepressant medication. Moreover, the newer SSRI medications that have fewer side effects are prescribed less often to African Americans than to whites. Finally, even though data suggest that blacks may metabolize psychiatric medications more slowly than whites, blacks often receive higher dosages than do whites, leading to more severe side effects. As a result, they may stop taking medications at a greater rate than whites with similar diagnoses.

I share this with you because health care is a bigger problem than we can fathom. Many in our community are undiagnosed like my friend Kenya, misdiagnosed, or inadequately medicated like Maia Campbell.  I share this with you because instead of snickering at the sad images of a young Black Woman who is struggling with mental illness and drug addiction, you should be fighting for her and for change.

For more information about how you can get involved in advocating for those in need of treatment, please visit NAMI- The National Alliance for Mental Illness.

image credit:Flickr/Geek2Nurse