Lack of Education 101

Education is one of our main focuses, but why?

With the gradual increase in the acknowledgment and general awareness of mental health, alongside the worsening of mental health in recent years, it is important now more than ever to be educated on the topics of mental illnesses and sustaining one’s mental health.

However, for minority communities certain barriers or obstacles can inhibit and restrict access to resources that can help further their mental health literacy. Unsurprisingly this lack of mental health literacy, whether it be due to a restriction of resources or cultural stigma, can have an adverse effect on one’s mental health and well-being, especially in these marginalized or minority communities.

Such resources and educational tools like access to mental health professionals, support and awareness groups, and reliable sources of information on mental health can be restricted by certain factors like urban planning, financial limitations, and cultural influences and stigmas. Of which, these restrictions often disproportionately affect minority groups like those of a lower socio-economic status, POC and LGBTQ+ communities, which puts these groups at a disadvantage when it comes to the furthering of their mental health literacy or education.

One of the most important things to take into consideration when trying to further the mental health literacy of a community is the quantity and quality of the resources available. Thus when a given community does not have a sufficient amount of available mental health resources or the quality of the resources cannot meet the needs of the community the urban planning practices of those communities put them at a disadvantage when it comes to attaining and furthering their mental health education.

Practices like gentrification, in which higher end stores move into lower income areas, or redlining, wherein banks refuse loans to those of a lower socio-economic status because they deem it a financial risk, make it hard for low income communities to better cater the facilities and resources there to the needs of its residents.

When high end businesses move into communities that depend on smaller, inexpensive businesses they tend to push out these smaller businesses and raise the cost of

living in the areas they move into, pushing out the lower income residents as well. This can prevent stable access to mental health resources with cost effective options being pushed out and the lack of housing security preventing residents from settling with the options that may be there.

And when banks refuse to loan out or invest money in an area that is deemed a financial risk due to the socio-economic status of its residents, this prevents the residents from getting the capital needed to develop the services and facilities that help further mental health literacy and support those with mental illnesses.

Even urban planning practices no longer officially in use, like segregation or gerrymandering have lingering effects on these communities. The segregation of communities alongside the political practice of gerrymandering, while no longer in use still impedes the furthering of mental health literacy in primarily BIPOC communities, as

the initial lack of political representation in these communities has impaired its modern day residents, where even now it can be tough for these residents to rely on political representation to develop their mental health literacy among other things.

Even in communities that have reliable sources of mental health services and education, certain financial limitations or situations can further prevent residents from accessing and using these services and information.

If the primary source of services in a region is made up of smaller businesses, like convenience stores or barber shops, it can be difficult to find great health insurance plans, as these businesses may not be financially able to support their employees in such a way. However, if a higher end business that can afford to provide insurance plans to their employees sets up shop, they are less likely to employ people of a lower socio-economic status as opposed to those of a higher socio-economic status.

The lack of reliable insurance plans, primarily health insurance, prevents those in lower income communities from accessing mental health resources that can educate them on mental health. And even when there are insurance plans available from insurance companies, the cost of such plans may be greater than what the user may be able to pay, thus the cost of health insurance, and by proxy mental health, may deter people from educating themselves and receiving the support they need.

Although mental health issues disproportionately affect people of color at a higher rate than their European counterparts, access to mental health resources are often inaccessible through means other than a financial perspective: cultural stigmas. In POC households, especially Latinx and Asian households, discussion surrounding mental health is often seen as taboo and swept under the rug. Surrounding oneself in a household where culture diminishes the importance of caring for your mental state can often lead to one assuming that mental health is not a valuable aspect of their lives. Specifically, since many POC youth are impressionable and susceptible to being influenced by the role models in their households, being surrounded by role models that undermine the importance of understanding mental health can manifest into personal stigmas and sentiments against mental health that will not only hinder development, but also project a misinformed understanding of what mental health truly means.

Besides the obvious effect that urban planning practices, financial limitations, and cultural stigmas have on minority communities being that it prevents people from these communities from accessing mental health resources and developing their mental health literacy and education, these causes of mental health illiteracy can have a much wider range of repercussions. Without

the awareness that comes with being literate or educated on mental health, having a lack of education can lead to the normalization of certain mental illnesses and situations that either cause or heighten existing mental illnesses.

When everyone around you is equally as illiterate or unaware on the topic of mental health it can be tough to realize you may have a disorder or need help. Awareness in regards to mental health is so important as it can decide whether an individual or groups knows if and when to seek help for mental health problems, and recognize the signs before any existing problems worsen or any tragedies occur, like suicide. The fact that a lack of education on mental health can result in a lack of awareness and not having the skills necessary to recognize and combat mental health problems makes being literate on mental health so important.

A lack of education on mental health can also lead to the exacerbation and perpetuation of existing cultural stigmas and situations that lead to mental illnesses and poor mental health.

Just as cultural stigmas in minority communities cause a lack of education, this lack of a mental health education also perpetuates the existing cultural stigmas at play. Like with Latinx or Asian communities the existing cultural stigmas around mental health, a majority of which looks down on receiving mental health care and in some cases does not acknowledge the existence or urgency of mental illnesses, the lack of education and subsequent perpetuation of these cultural stigmas creates a cycle that can carry on throughout generations.

And in LGBTQ+ communities the stigma and discrimination faced by this community can often discourage or prevent individuals from seeking help, and if they do not have access to mental health resources or a mental health education, their lack of such can pose a detriment not only to their mental health, but their physical health as well. It is even more important to be educated on mental health considering many of those in the LGBTQ+ community suffering from mental illnesses are children, adolescents, and teens. Of which, their age and dependency on others makes this group much more vulnerable to mental illness when without guidance.

Like with the LGBTQ+ community, a lack of a mental health education can heighten pre-existing problems stemming from social issues like racism or poverty. By being unaware or uninformed on where and how to get mental health support or guidance, these unresolved problems, like insecurities regarding one’s socio-economic status, cultural identity, or race can worsen if not dealt with properly.

Through identifying what it is specifically that causes a lack of education in mental health in minority communities, as a community we can begin to understand the urgency of providing mental health resources to these groups as well. Educating oneself and understanding the overshadowed perspective of the mental health of minority individuals and students and acknowledging the importance of mental health literacy is one step forward towards being able to effectively advocate for mental health and battle against mental health illiteracy.