BIPOC (formerly Minority) Mental Health Month: Breaking Stigma, Building Trust

Despite many efforts to stem it, stigma around mental health still exists, particularly in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities. July marks BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month (also known as Bebe Moore Cambell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month) in the U.S. The observance was largely the result of efforts by Bebe Moore Campbell, an American author with a particular interest in mental health. She has said she wrote her first children’s book, Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry (2003) “to address the fears and concerns of children who have a parent who suffers from mental illness.”

Ms. Campbell fought to end the stigma of admitting to and getting help for mental health issues in minority communities and tried to shed light on the  differences in the availability of services for minority populations until she passed away in 2006. The stigma still exists.

A new national survey conducted by ACUPOLL Precision Research shows some surprising differences in attitudes toward mental health and the use of antidepressants as treatment between people of color and Caucasians.

• 25% of African Americans and 29% of Hispanic people are likely to experience anxiety without being diagnosed, compared to just 19% of Caucasian people.
• 55% of African Americans and 53% of Hispanic respondents believe that people will have a different opinion of them if they were known to be taking mental health medications, compared with just 19% of Caucasian people.
• Over half of African Americans surveyed (51%) and Hispanic (63%) respondents believe that mental health medications can have side effects. However, a similar number of African American (53%) and Hispanic (52%) of respondents indicated that pharmacogenomic (PGx) tests could help ease those concerns.

The Mental Health America (MHA) website outlines some of the factors that influence attitudes towards mental health in these communities:

“Communities of Black / Africa American descent

In this community’s, seeking mental health care can be seen as a sign of spiritual or moral weakness. Some people may think that if their ancestors survived slavery and segregation, their mental health struggles seem insignificant in comparison.

Communities of Indigenous descent

Communities of Indigenous descent may fear being perceived as weak if they are experiencing mental health challenges. Because of their close family ties and collectivist worldview, they may worry that seeking help would bring shame to their family and impact their family’s status within the community.

Communities of Latine / Hispanic descent

In this community, people may tend to be more private, keeping them from discussing mental health concerns with others. Many people in the Latine/Hispanic community are familiar with the phrase “la ropa sucia se lava en casa,” similar to the phrase, “don’t air your dirty laundry in public.” Because of their religious affiliations, some people may also believe that demons or sinful behavior are the cause of mental health conditions.

Communities of Asian American / Pacific Islander descent

The pressure of the “model minority myth” can contribute to stigma for communities of Asian American/Pacific Islander descent. People from this community may believe that they need to live up to expectations of achievement and success, and that experiencing mental health challenges would deem them incapable of doing so. Sharing their mental health challenges with someone outside of the family might also be considered a betrayal and bring shame to the family.

Communities of multiracial descent
Multiracial individuals may have to navigate different types of stigma from the multiple ethnic communities they are a part of. They may also experience alienation from communities they are a part of if they are not perceived as “enough” of a given race/ethnicity. This isolation can make it more difficult to speak up about mental health challenges.

Communities of Arab and Middle Eastern descent
In this community, mental health challenges can be considered a personal failure. People from communities of Arab and Middle Eastern descent may fear being labeled as someone with a mental health condition because it could potentially alienate them from their friends and families. They may also be influenced by religious beliefs that a mental health condition is a form of spiritual punishment.”

The Objectivity of the GeneSight Test Can Help Build Trust

PGx tests, like the GeneSight Psychotropic test, may be able to help. The GeneSight test is a simple cheek swab used to determine how a patient may break down or respond to certain mental health medications based on their DNA.

A post-hoc analysis of the GUIDED Study, a study that assessed the impact of the GeneSight Psychotropic test on psychiatric treatment response compared to treatment as usual (TAU), reviewed the impact of the GeneSight test on outcomes for Black and Hispanic patients. The results demonstrated that patients whose clinician’s treatment decisions were informed by GeneSight Psychotropic testing showed improvements in clinical outcomes regardless of self-reported race or ethnicity.*

While the improvements did not reach statistical significance, the encouraging results from this initial analysis provide a basis for future studies that focus on diverse populations.

Since there are few objective measurables when prescribing medications for patients in psychiatry and mental health, the GeneSight test may be useful as it can provide some objective information. The GeneSight test can help patients and clinicians understand how gene-drug interactions may impact medication outcomes for the patient.

Use of the objective genetic information provided by the GeneSight test may help reduce perceived bias during the process of making treatment decisions. Patients may feel more comfortable with their treatment plan, especially if, as the survey results indicate, they were initially reluctant to take a mental health medication.

This quote does not have an attribution, yet it is true and particularly relevant during this month’s observance: Mental illness knows no race; mental health care should not either.

Read more:

https://genesight.com/blog/patient/minority-mental-health-stigma/

https://genesight.com/blog/patient/strength-over-silence-improving-minority-mental-health/

https://genesight.com/blog/healthcare-provider/how-minority-cultures-talk-about-depression/

*Mabey, B, et al. The Impact of Combinatorial Pharmacogenomic Testing on Outcomes in Black and Hispanic Patients. Poster session presented at American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting; May 2022; New Orleans, LA.