Viewpoint: Make mental health for minority children a priority
By Lesli Suggs & Lydia Conley on September 17, 2020
In Massachusetts, there are 2.6 times more Black children and 3 times more Hispanic/Latino children than white children in the child-welfare system, according to the Department of Children and Families. The children thrust into this system have already experienced trauma and challenges in unimaginable ways. But now, Covid-19 is creating trauma in new and unexpected ways for these children and their families who are disproportionately impacted by the disease.
Make no mistake: Generations of systemic racism and racial inequality have created this environment, magnified by our modern pandemic, where Black and Brown families face a higher risk of illness and lack of access to decent healthcare. African-American women, for example, are 20 percent more likely to have asthma than non-Hispanic whites, while non-Hispanic Black Americans are five times more likely to get coronavirus than white Americans. Now, the trauma and stress of this moment, compounded by the structural racism that has led to police violence against Black Americans, is taking an extra toll not only on the physical health but also the overall mental health of communities of color.
A growing body of evidence demonstrates that racial discrimination causes trauma and has negative repercussions on psychological wellbeing and mental health, and increases the risk of substance abuse. However, minority communities, which need behavioral healthcare the most, are still not receiving it.
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