By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
July is recognized as BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month, an observance that highlights the unique mental health challenges experienced by Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities while raising awareness about persistent health disparities, barriers to care and the importance of culturally responsive treatment.
Mental health professionals say the observance also provides an opportunity to examine how culture, history and lived experiences influence both mental health and access to care.
“BIPOC Mental Health Month is important because it recognizes that mental health cannot be separated from culture, history, and social conditions, and it creates space to advocate for healing practices that honor Afrikan identity, resilience, and community,” said Steven Akuffo, a mental health therapist at Seattle Children’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic. “Raising awareness also challenges deficit-based narratives and reminds us that many mental health struggles are understandable responses to oppressive conditions rather than personal shortcomings.”
For Charisse Williams, a psychologist and director of the Center of Restorative Practices at the University of Washington Medicine, dedicating a month to these issues helps bring greater attention to the reasons those disparities continue to exist.
“It starts to highlight not only that health disparities exist, but also what some of the reasons are for those health disparities. Sometimes health disparities are blamed upon BIPOC communities in terms of talking about maybe utilizing healthcare systems less,” Williams said. “And that is actually far from the truth. A lot of the reasons for health disparities are disproportionate living environments, as well as the concept of weathering. Which is the fact that BIPOC people have to deal with racism and other isms that impact our stress levels and our ability to have an overall good level of health.”
The term “weathering” refers to the cumulative physical and emotional toll that chronic exposure to racism, discrimination and other forms of stress can have on the body over time, contributing to long-term health disparities.
Janarthan Sivaratnam, Ph.D., a psychologist with Providence Swedish South Lake Union Primary Care, said raising awareness is important because many of the inequities affecting BIPOC communities continue to shape patients’ experiences today.
“If we are at a 100-yard sprint, certain demographics already have a 20-yard head start. So, what we want to do by raising awareness is not trying to get a head start, but we are trying to catch up,” Sivaratnam said. “In order to catch up, we need to have some attention focused on this topic. Whether it is through awareness months or even in the exam room, the best way we can do that is by talking about it. We are not always focused on a quick solution. We are just trying to listen and discuss how it impacts someone, and I think that can be really powerful.”
Williams said the effects of racial trauma are often compounded by limited access to culturally competent care and a lack of understanding of the social determinants of health.
“I have noticed that there are more challenges with access to culturally competent care and an understanding of the social determinants of health,” Williams said. “When you combine that with racial trauma, and dealing with racism and other isms, it not only creates more stress, but that stress creates a differential impact in terms of our ability to be well.”
Sivaratnam said those stressors often appear in his patients, although conversations about mental health may look different depending on a person’s cultural background.
“Depression and anxiety are the most common diagnoses that I see right now. Something else that I see quite a bit, particularly in my tech folks, is that they are probably the most common patients,” Sivaratnam said. “As far as how mental health is talked about in BIPOC communities, it is not often talked about as much.”
Rather than describing emotional symptoms directly, many patients first talk about how stress affects them physically, Sivaratnam said, creating an important entry point for conversations about mental health.
“Mental health usually comes across as either relationship stress, particularly in collectivist cultures, or physical stress. I am thinking about one patient recently, where we only talked about their mental health as far as how it feels in our bodies,” Sivaratnam said. “And for a lot of cultures, that is actually a common gateway into describing how they are doing mentally. When it comes to the patients that I have worked with, sometimes it is just a little bit more of that slow burn.”
Williams believes culturally competent care plays a critical role in improving treatment outcomes for BIPOC patients. She said providers must understand how culture shapes a person’s healthcare experience while recognizing the importance of representation within the healthcare workforce.
“Culturally competent care is also providers being able to have enough cultural fluidity that they understand the differences in culture and how that may impact someone’s wellness. For example, referring to an older Black patient by their last name,” Williams said. “Some of those kinds of cultural considerations, I think, help improve the healthcare experience for BIPOC people. It is important that our healthcare workforce has people in it who not only have cultural knowledge, but also have lived experience as well, because that representation in healthcare is incredibly important.”
For Akuffo, culturally competent care goes beyond simply recognizing racial differences. It also acknowledges the historical, cultural and social realities that shape the lives of Black children and families.
“An Afrikan-centered approach recognizes the importance of identity, spirituality, extended family, community, collective responsibility, and the ongoing effects of racism as essential components of assessment and treatment,” Akuffo said. “Effective care affirms cultural strengths, builds resilience, and helps children develop a healthy sense of self rooted in the richness of their Afrikan heritage rather than in society’s stereotypes.”
Sivaratnam said current events and economic uncertainty continue to add another layer of stress for many BIPOC patients.
“I do see a lot of BIPOC patients concerned about the political climate. I think that if you couple this with just the overall impact of how the economy has really impacted certain demographics more than others, those are common stressors,” Sivaratnam said. “It is hard, particularly in primary care, because we are the first exposure people have to mental health, and we are all swamped, but we do the best we can with what we have.”
Williams said understanding why someone may hesitate to seek mental health care is an important step toward reducing inequities. She believes healthcare systems should focus on reducing barriers while bringing services directly into underserved communities rather than expecting vulnerable populations to navigate the system on their own.
“It is about reducing barriers, and thinking of creative ways to bring healthcare systems to the most vulnerable communities, as opposed to having them come and find us,” Williams said. “In general, I think what we need to be very mindful about is how we are promoting our services, how we are addressing those health inequities, and being very vocal about what we are doing in order to ensure that we are culturally competent and we are addressing those barriers.”
Akuffo said many Black families’ hesitation to seek mental health care is understandable given the long history of discrimination, exploitation and cultural misunderstanding within healthcare and mental health systems.
“Seeking support should not be viewed as a weakness but as an act of self-determination, healing, and protecting future generations. Mental wellness has always been a part of Afrikan traditions through community, spirituality, storytelling, elders, and collective care, and professional support can complement, not replace, these strengths when it is culturally affirming,” Akuffo said. “I would encourage families to seek providers who demonstrate cultural humility and an understanding of the Black experience, while also utilizing trusted community resources.”
Mental health professionals encourage anyone experiencing persistent anxiety, depression or emotional distress to speak with a primary care provider or a licensed mental health professional, noting that early conversations and culturally responsive care can play an important role in improving long-term health outcomes.
