Celebrating Black History Month

Honoring Black Mental Health

Change to Chill is honoring Black History Month by acknowledging the racial disparities that exist in mental health:

• Between 1991 and 2017, suicide attempts by Black youth increased, while suicide attempts among youth of other aces and ethnicities decreased.
• In a 2019 Human Rights Campaign report, 80% of Black LGBTQ+ youth reported feeling depressed or down on a regular basis.
• Black youth are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, where approximately 75% of youth have a diagnosable mental illness.
• Black youth are less likely than their white peers to receive mental health support. In 2018, 58% of Black young adults with a serious mental illness did NOT receive treatment.

Our young people deserve better.

Take Action

We encourage you to find ways to honor Black History Month and Black mental health throughout February. Here are a few ways you can get started:

• Educate yourself on Black pioneers in mental health. Change to Chill will be highlighting some of these folks on our social media accounts throughout the month.
• Learn about the history behind racism in mental health care and its present-day effects. Check out this article.
• Center Black voices in mental health. Watch Phillip J. Roundtree’s TED Talk on why Black mental health matters.
• Familiarize yourself with Black mental health resources. Here’s one list to read and share.

Most importantly, listen and support the Black folks in your life and help to combat the mental health stigma that keeps many silent.