Black mental health

Many African American families have roots in the U.S. going back centuries. Mental Health America notes that slavery erased many families’ specific African origins, and that Black history is too often reduced to hardship, when it is also full of leaders, inventors, artists and activists.

About 2.5 million Black immigrants in the U.S. were born in the Caribbean (2024). Jamaica and Haiti are among the top birthplaces. Many families keep close ties to home through food, music, faith and language, including Haitian Creole.

The number of African-born Black immigrants grew from about 600,000 in 2000 to 2.4 million in 2024. Nigeria is one of the top countries of birth. People bring many languages, faiths and traditions from across a huge continent.

About 6 million U.S. adults identified as Afro-Latino in 2020, around 12% of Latino adults. About one in seven Afro-Latinos does not identify as Hispanic at all.

The number of Black people who are multiracial and not Hispanic grew by 295% between 2000 and 2024. Many people hold more than one identity with pride.

Mental Health America describes kinship systems, like aunties and uncles who aren’t blood relatives, play cousins and godparents, as informal systems of support passed down through generations. They share childcare, wisdom and care in hard times.

In a large 2021 survey, most Black adults said they rely on prayer to help make major decisions. Even among Black Americans with no religious affiliation, 90% believe in God or a higher power.

Mental Health America notes that belonging to a faith community can improve social connection and spiritual health and give life meaning and structure.

Three in four Black adults say being Black is extremely or very important to how they see themselves. Mental Health America notes that a strong sense of community, heritage and history can be a factor in resilience.

Mental Health America names artistic expression as a source of strength. Storytelling and oral traditions pass on history, wisdom and values from one generation to the next.

Ways people use it

• Dancing or singing with others
• Journaling, poetry or spoken word
• Listening to music that steadies you
• Sharing family stories with younger relatives

Churches, neighbourhood groups, fraternities and sororities, and mutual aid have long met needs that systems didn’t. Some of these groups now hold mental wellness check-ins, like the fraternity chapters in the Brother, You’re on My Mind initiative.

A review of 52 U.S. studies found Black patients were diagnosed with schizophrenia about 2.4 times as often as white patients, and the gap remained even when structured assessments were used.

NAMI notes that Black people are more likely to be misdiagnosed with schizophrenia when they actually have mood-related symptoms.

NAMI notes that Black people may describe physical symptoms, like aches and pains, when talking about depression. A provider who isn’t culturally aware may miss what is going on.

The Tuskegee study led to major changes in research rules, a settlement in 1974 and a formal presidential apology in 1997. At its 50th anniversary, CDC spoke about moving “from trust to trustworthiness.”

Things that can help you feel safer

• Bring someone you trust to appointments
• Ask questions until you understand
• Ask how your information is kept private
• Look for a provider who has worked with Black clients
• Remember you can say no, or ask for time to think

Mental Health America says being vulnerable and accepting help requires a great deal of strength. You have probably helped others before, and you will again. Receiving support now is part of that same cycle.

Mental Health America notes many people were taught not to share family problems. But talking with a trusted friend or professional can help you learn skills that help your whole family.

Mental Health America notes that some people worry that struggling means their faith isn’t strong enough. Faith can be a valuable part of healing, alongside professional support.

Mental Health America calls the idea that mental illness is a “white people problem” a myth. Mental health is part of being human, and many Black public figures have spoken about how therapy helped them.

In 2015, NIMHD partnered with Omega Psi Phi Fraternity on Brother, You’re on My Mind, to raise awareness of depression and stress among Black men. Chapters share information at places like barbershops and churches, and some now end meetings with a wellness check-in.

Mental Health America notes that Black boys are often seen as older than their age, and Black men are then expected to show little vulnerability. Boys need room to be children: to cry, play and be protected.

Men often talk more easily side by side, while doing something. Health programs have taken mental health information to barbershops and churches for this reason.

Places to look

• Black Men Heal: limited free therapy opportunities for Black men
• Therapy for Black Men: a directory of therapists and coaches

Young people do better when they feel they belong. Many campuses have cultural centres and affinity groups. The Steve Fund focuses on the mental health and emotional wellbeing of young people of color.

Mental Health America links chronic racial stress, including viral videos of Black death, to anxiety, depression and trauma.

When parents and elders talk openly about stress and feelings, young people learn that it’s okay to speak up. You don’t need perfect words. “I’m here, and I want to hear how you’re really doing” is a strong start.

Many people go to a faith leader first. A caring faith leader can listen, pray with you and help you find professional care too. Community and faith organizations may keep lists of local providers.

You can ask a therapist how they include faith in their work. Some therapists share your faith, and some don’t but will respect it. Both can work well.

Health programs have shared mental health information through churches because they are trusted places. A sermon, a support group or a health fair can help break the silence.

Listed by NAMI and Mental Health America

• Association of Black Psychologists: a “Find a Black Mental Health Professional” directory
• Melanin & Mental Health: Black and Latinx/Hispanic clinicians
• Therapy for Black Girls: therapists for Black women and girls, searchable by insurance
• Therapy for Black Men: therapists and coaches, searchable by state and insurance

The Loveland Foundation’s Therapy Fund helps Black women and nonbinary people pay for 4 to 12 therapy sessions. The sign-up form opens every few months, with a waitlist when it’s closed.

Black Men Heal offers limited free mental health service opportunities for Black men.

The National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network keeps a directory of practitioners for queer and trans people of color.

• BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective): education, training and the arts for Black healing
• Black Women’s Health Imperative: health equity for Black women
• Sista Afya: mental wellness education and community for Black women
• The Steve Fund: mental health of young people of color

Try this

1. Find a calm, private moment.
2. Say what you’ve noticed, gently: “You haven’t seemed like yourself.”
3. Listen without judging or rushing to fix it.
4. Believe them, especially about racism or unfair treatment.
5. Offer to help find a therapist, or go with them to an appointment.
6. Keep checking in.

• Add a wellness check-in to meetings
• Invite a counselor to speak to your group
• Share hotline numbers in group chats
• Talk openly about your own care to normalise it