Black Women Mental-Health Needs Unmet

Sixty percent of African American women suffer from depression, but few seek professional help because of the communal stigma and because there are few providers specializing in African American issues. Now, new mental health initiatives are reaching out

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (WOMENSENEWS)--"There's a fear of putting our business in the street . . . of somehow revealing too much," said Latonya Slack, executive director of the California Black Women's Health Project, an Inglewood, Calif., community-health organization. "Black women can perceive going to a therapist as something we don't do," she added.

Lorraine Cole, president of the Black Women's Health Imperative, the Washington, D.C.-based parent organization of the California BlackWomen's Health Project, agrees. "There's a deep-seated feeling that going to seek professional help is a sign of weakness," she said.

In California, African American women have the shortest life expectancy among women of all racial and ethnic groups in the state. They also have the highest mortality rate for heart disease and stroke and the highest prevalence of high blood pressure and obesity. Recent research indicates that mental health plays a role in these health disparities in California--and across the nation. But while many black women know and discuss the threats to their physical health, when it comes to mental health, there's silence and inaction.

Slack and Cole, both African American women, are leading efforts to address the physical, mental and spiritual health needs of black women. Both have commissioned studies that revealed many black women are struggling with mental health issues but are not seeking professional help. They and others see improving black women's access to mental health treatment as a crucial element to addressing the serious, but often manageable, illnesses plaguing their physical health.

By Shauna Curphey