National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month 2024 Toolkit

CELEBRATE NATIONAL MINORITY MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH 2024

Use the resources in this year’s toolkit to spread the word about National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month with your networks. Participate in conversations about health equity on social media by tagging @MinorityHealth on X (Twitter)Facebook, and Instagram and using the hashtags #SourceForBetterHealth and #NMMHAM

X (Twitter)

Be the #SourceForBetterHealth and share trusted mental health resources this #NMMHAM. Visit @MinorityHealth to learn more about advancing health equity for racial and ethnic minority and #AIAN communities: https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/national-minority-mental-health-awareness-month-2024

This #NMMHAM share accurate and reliable information on the mental health of racial and ethnic minority and #AIAN communities and learn how you can Be the #SourceForBetterHealth with resources from @MinorityHealth: https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/national-minority-mental-health-awareness-month-2024

Spread the word about how you can Be the #SourceForBetterHealth for racial and ethnic minority and #AIAN communities this #NMMHAM. Use this toolkit from @MinorityHealth that includes social media messaging, graphics, and more: https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/national-minority-mental-health-awareness-month-2024

Facebook

#DYK? About half of all people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with a mental disorder at some point in their lifetime. @minorityhealth encourages us to Be the #SourceForBetterHealth and learn how certain social determinants of health can impact the mental well-being of racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native communities this National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Access more information and trusted mental health resources by visiting https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/national-minority-mental-health-awareness-month-2024. #NMMHAM

This National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month @minorityhealth has resources to promote mental wellness for racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Use their resources to Be a #SourceForBetterHealth and learn how certain social determinants of health, like lacking support systems and limited access to health care, impact minority mental health outcomes.  https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/national-minority-mental-health-awareness-month-2024 #NMMHAM

Social and emotional support, housing, and food insecurity are some social determinants of health that can deeply impact the mental well-being of racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native communities. Be the #SourceForBetterHealth this National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and spread the word about how addressing #SDOH can advance health equity. Use this toolkit from @minorityhealth that includes social media messaging, graphics, and more: https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/national-minority-mental-health-awareness-month-2024 #NMMHAM

Instagram

#DYK? About half of all people in the United States will be diagnosed with a mental disorder at some point in their lifetime. @minorityhealth encourages us to Be the #SourceForBetterHealth and learn how certain social determinants of health can impact the mental well-being of racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native communities this National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Access more information and trusted mental health resources by visiting https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/national-minority-mental-health-awareness-month-2024. #NMMHAM 

This National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month @minorityhealth has resources to promote mental wellness for racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Use their resources to Be a #SourceForBetterHealth and learn how certain social determinants of health, like lacking support systems and limited access to health care, impact mental health outcomes.  https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/national-minority-mental-health-awareness-month-2024 #NMMHAM 

Social and emotional support, housing, and food insecurity are some social determinants of health that can deeply impact the mental well-being of racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native communities. Be the #SourceForBetterHealth this National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and spread the word about how addressing #SDOH can advance health equity. Use this toolkit from @minorityhealth that includes social media messaging, graphics, and more: https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/national-minority-mental-health-awareness-month-2024 #NMMHAM  

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month! 

This annual observance raises awareness about the unique challenges that affect the mental health of racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations.  

This year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) is focusing on improving mental health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority and AI/AN communities through its 2024 theme, Be the Source for Better Health: Improving Health Outcomes Through Our Cultures, Communities, and Connections. This theme calls on each of us to better understand how the unique environments, cultures, histories, and circumstances (known as social determinants of health, or “SDOH”) of racial and ethnic minority and AI/AN populations impact their mental health.  

About half of all people in the United States will be diagnosed with a mental disorder at some point in their lifetime, but certain SDOH factors, like experiencing trauma, lacking support systems, and having limited access to health care, can leave racial and ethnic minority and AI/AN people at increased risk for many preventable mental health problems.  

Visit the National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month 2024 website to find resources, social media messages, graphics, and information on how to Be the Source for Better Health. 

If you or someone you know needs help with their mental health, contact 988lifeline.org. Call, text, or chat 24/7, for free and confidential support for people in distress or if you are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. 

About National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month! This annual observance, established in 2008, is a time to bring awareness to the unique mental health concerns faced by racial and ethnic minority and AI/AN people and work towards destigmatizing mental illness. 

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. 

Be the Source for Better Health 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) is focusing on improving mental health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities through its 2024 theme Be the Source for Better Health: Improving Health Outcomes Through Our Cultures, Communities, and Connections. This theme calls on each of us to better understand how the unique environments, cultures, histories, and circumstances (known as social determinants of health, or SDOH) of racial and ethnic minority and AI/AN populations impact their mental health.  

About half of all people in the United States will be diagnosed with a mental disorder at some point in their lifetime. And estimates suggest that only half of all people with mental disorders get the treatment they need. Mental disorders affect people of all ages and  backgrounds, but racial and ethnic minority and AI/AN populations experience numerous mental health disparities including lower treatment rates for mental disorders like depression and higher rates of attempted suicide.  

By addressing SDOH through a comprehensive approach, we can work to advance health equity, reduce health disparities, and Be the Source for Better Health for racial and ethnic minority and AI/AN populations. 

Take Action!

Public health and community-based organizations can take steps to start improving the mental health of their communities by addressing SDOH. Organizations can leverage these steps to Be the Source for Better Health in your communities: 

Connect

Stay connected and participate in conversations about health equity on social media by tagging @MinorityHealth and using the hashtags #SourceForBetterHealth and #MensHealth Month on  X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram ,and subscribe to OMH e-newsletters 

Convene

Bring together members of your community and trusted organizations to identify mental health concerns specific to your community. 

Consider

Collect and utilize multiple sources of data and information, including public health data, to help develop strategies that can benefit you and your community and address mental health concerns.

Commit

Committing to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) is one way to help eliminate health inequities. Effective, equitable, and respectful care and services that are responsive to diverse cultural health beliefs and practices, preferred languages, economic and environmental circumstances, and health literacy levels are essential to close the gap in mental health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority populations.

Collaborate

Work with trusted partners to address the impact of SDOH on the mental health of vulnerable populations and to find innovative solutions that can be put into action. Mobilize partners to develop and implement strategies addressing mental health disparities and long-standing inequities.