Office of Minority Health

During National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in July, the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH) will launch a free and accredited e-learning program: Improving Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Professionals. This new program is part of OMH’s Think Cultural Health E-learning Curricula, which are developed to help build knowledge and skills related to the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (National CLAS Standards).

In addition to the launch of the behavioral health e-learning program, OMH will join partners at the federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial levels to help raise awareness about mental illness and its effects on racial and ethnic minority populations.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):

• In 2017, 41.5% of youth ages 12-17 received care for a major depressive episode, but only 35.1% of black youth and 32.7% of Hispanic youth received treatment for their condition.
• Asian American adults were less likely to use mental health services than any other racial/ethnic group.
• In 2017, 13.3% of youth ages 12-17 had at least one depressive episode, but that number was higher among American Indian and Alaska Native youth at 16.3% and among Hispanic youth at 13.8%.
• In 2017, 18.9% of adults (46.6 million people) had a mental illness. That rate was higher among people of two or more races at 28.6%, non-Hispanic whites at 20.4% and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders at 19.4%.

Despite advances in health equity, disparities in mental health care persist. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports that racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S. are less likely to have access to mental health services, less likely to use community mental health services, more likely to use emergency departments, and more likely to receive lower quality care. Poor mental health care access and quality contribute to poor mental health outcomes, including suicide, among racial and ethnic minority populations.

The HHS Office of Minority Health encourages all our partners to educate their community about the importance of improving access to mental health care and treatment and to help break down other barriers such as negative perceptions about mental illness.

National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month Graphics

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NOTE: These images may be downloaded and used only for purposes of promoting National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month activities, and may not be used for commercial purposes, including selling of products and services and advertisements in newspapers and other publications.

Mental Health Disparities

Minorities are less likely to receive diagnosis and treatment for their mental illness, have less access to mental health services and often receive a poorer quality of mental health care.

• African Americans and Mental Health
• American Indians/Alaska Natives and Mental Health
• Asian Americans and Mental Health
• Hispanics/Latinos and Mental Health
• Pacific Islanders/Native Hawaiians and Mental Health

Mental Health Resources and Publications

• Health Disparities Data Widget
• HHS Office of Minority Health Trauma Resources
• Mentalhealth.gov
• Talking About Mental Health
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Mental Health by the Numbers 
• National Child & Maternal Health Education Program: Moms' Mental Health Matters
• National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD): Brother, You're on My Mind
• National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health 
• SAMHSA Community Conversations Toolkit
• SAMHSA Office of Behavioral Health Equity
• SAMHSA Treatment Locator