Turning awareness into action: Mental health in minority communities

Suma Hodge, MS, LPC, BHP, CCTP-II

Submitted photo

One of the most powerful tools we have is conversation. Ask the kids in your life how they’re really doing. Talk about emotions. Normalize therapy. Celebrate emotional wellness by unplugging and spending quality time with them.”

Mental health challenges don’t wait until adulthood. They often begin early, especially for Black, Hispanic, Asian American and Indigenous youth, who often suffer in silence.

As a mental health counselor who works closely with children and teens, I see how stigma, access barriers and cultural misunderstandings can delay or prevent care. These experiences have shown me that simply raising awareness isn’t enough. We must turn that awareness into meaningful action.

Numbers tell a story but they’re not the whole story

Mental Health Awareness Month each May, and Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in July, named after advocate Bebe Moore Campbell, serve as important reminders that our work is far from done.

In 2025, the theme “Turn Awareness into Action” couldn’t be more urgent. While data provides a clear picture of disparity, the real-world consequences are what matter most.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, serious psychological distress affects 11.4% of Black adults, 15.4% of American Indian/Alaska Native adults and 13.8% of Hispanic adults — levels comparable to or exceeding those of non‑Hispanic Whites (14.2%). Alarmingly, suicide fatality rates among AI/AN adults (23.8%) and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (3.0%) are among the highest. And still, access to mental health care remains unequal.

The silent struggle: Minority youth and mental health

Many of our children are struggling quietly and without support. As a clinician, I’ve met children who’ve endured years of emotional pain before finally getting access to therapy. Too often, their parents have struggled with affording care, finding providers and locating resources to help. This needs to change.

• 1 in 3 Black high school students reported experiencing persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2023, according to the CDC.

• The CDC’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows Latino youth have disproportionately high suicide attempt rates, almost twice that of their white peers.
• The CDC also reports that American Indian and Alaska Native youth have the highest suicide rates of any racial or ethnic group, sometimes two to three times the national average.
• Among Asian American youth, stigma and cultural silence can delay seeking help by years, often until symptoms become severe, reports Mental Health America.

Despite these concerning trends, children of color are less likely to receive treatment. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, only 9.2% of Black youth and 8.6% of Hispanic youth with major depressive episodes receive consistent care, compared to nearly 15% of white youth.

Treatment gaps in communities of color: A persistent challenge

Even when the need is clear, access is not. In 2023, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, treatment rates for any mental health issue stood at:

• 1% for Black adults
• 17% for Hispanic adults
• 5% for Asian adults
• 1% for Pacific Islanders

This compares to 27% for white adults. Among those with Major Depressive Episodes, only 56.1% of Black adults and approx. 52% of Hispanic and Asian adults received treatment, versus 68.4% of white adults. Cultural stigma, lack of access, economic barriers and provider shortages contribute significantly to these gaps, and they’re costing lives.

Turning awareness into tools: Resources making a difference

Fortunately, many are stepping up with tools that work:

• The nonprofit Active Minds and the peer-to-peer suicide prevention program called Hope Squad empower students to become mental health advocates in schools.
• Alkeme Health is an app that offers therapy and wellness content specifically designed for the Black community with cultural relevant courses.
• The Friendship Bench intervention program is a model developed in Zimbabwe and is being piloted in U.S. cities to place trained “community listeners” where they’re needed most.
• Organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health America provide free, multilingual resources, family guides, and culturally adapted support groups.
• Huddle is an app that fosters peer support networks for LGBTQ+ and people of color.
• Government agencies like SAMHSA, NAMI, CDC and FDA have produced toolkits that organizations and people can use during awareness months to promote culturally responsive mental health action.

But you don’t need a program or a platform to make a difference. One of the most powerful tools we have is conversation. Ask the kids in your life how they’re really doing. Talk about emotions. Normalize therapy. Celebrate emotional wellness by unplugging and spending quality time with them.

Encourage your kids to share, not by asking “how was school,” but by asking more intentional questions such as what surprised them at school today, what made them smile, whether they experience anything confusing or hard, how they might have helped a friend or whether they had moments that made them feel proud.

Minority Mental Health Month is an opportunity to create lasting change for our children, our families, our communities and generations to come. Now, let’s make mental health care accessible, equitable, and culturally affirming for all. Let’s push for:

• Greater access: Expand culturally competent provider networks, improve insurance coverage, and increase affordable care.

• Normalize conversations: Use community campaigns, online and offline, to reduce stigma.
• Leverage peers: Scale evidence-based peer-support models like WHAM, Active Minds and Friendship Bench.
• Embrace digital tools: Promote accessible, identity‑affirming platforms tailored to marginalized groups.

We all have a role to play in creating a more equitable mental health system. Let’s ensure that turning awareness into action becomes more than a theme; it becomes a movement.

Editor’s note: Suma Hodge, MS, LPC, BHP, CCTP-II, is the regional clinical director at Mentally Ill Kids In Distress, a Phoenix-based nonprofit serving Arizona families since 1987. Please send your comments to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.