National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month 2023

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services OMH

In 2021, it was estimated that only 39 percent of Black or African American adults, 25 percent of Asian adults, and 36 percent of Hispanic/Latino adults with any mental illness were treated, compared to 52 percent of non-Hispanic white adults.
One study suggests that Hispanic men who identify as LGBTQI+ experience higher rates of body image disorders than Hispanic women, Black and African American men and women, and white men and women who identify as LGBTQI+.
According to the Veterans Health Administration Department of Veterans Affairs, American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans report experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at double the rate of non-Hispanic white Veterans – 20.5 percent compared to 11.6 percent.
In 2020, suicide was the leading cause of death among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders aged 10 to 19; it was the second leading cause of death among those aged 20 to 34.

Minority Mental Health Disparities Snapshot

National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is observed each July to bring awareness to the unique struggles that racial and ethnic minority communities face regarding mental illness in the United States.

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

Racial and ethnic minorities often suffer from poor mental health outcomes due to multiple factors, including lack of access to quality mental health care services, the cultural stigma surrounding mental health care, discrimination, and overall lack of awareness about mental health.

The HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) is committed to advancing Better Mental Health Through Better Understanding for racial and ethnic minority communities by providing culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health care services, information, and resources. OMH has developed the following resources for healthcare providers and professionals:

Learn more about the Better Health Through Better Understanding theme, which focuses on increasing health literacy, providing culturally competent care, and improving access to health care information for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) by visiting OMH’s National Minority Health Month page.

Get Involved in National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Follow OMH on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and sign up for OMH newsletters, additional events, and resources.

Download the OMH Knowledge Center’s suggested reading list on minority mental health.

READING LIST

About National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, also known as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, was developed to honor the efforts of Bebe Moore Campbell (1950 – 2006), an American author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate. Campbell was driven to bring awareness to the unique mental health struggles of racial and ethnic minority communities through her personal experiences with a family member’s mental illness. She was one of the founding members of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Urban Los Angeles.

In May 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives announced July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and recognized that:

Improved access to mental health treatment and services and public awareness of mental illness are of paramount importance.
There is a critical need for improved access to care, treatment, and services for those diagnosed with severe and persistent mental health disorders and improved public awareness of mental illness.
An appropriate month should be recognized as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to enhance public awareness of mental illness and mental illness among minorities.