I remember being in high school when I had my first panic attack. It was in the cafeteria during lunch. My vision turned blurry and my heart was racing like it would leap out of my chest. A friend asked what was wrong, and at the time I didn’t know. Tears began to fall and my good friend walked me to the counselor’s office to figure out what was going on. Everyone was asking me questions, but I was too overwhelmed to respond to them. They all stood around looking at me, looking at each other, and decided that since I didn’t cooperate with questions they’d call my parents instead. I never did find out why I had a panic attack. It wasn’t until years later that I learned that I had high-functioning anxiety.
Changing the Conversation
There are a variety of mental health pledges, initiatives, and webinars on changing the conversation about mental health. Yet I can’t help but feel overlooked, not just as a person but as a Black person. As a child, I watched my mother struggle. I see the lasting impression on her psyche – it has shown through in a variety of anxiety behaviors. However, she, like many other Black folks I know, don’t receive help.
As a collective, the Black community has been historically and disproportionately affected by medical professionals. This has had a lasting effect on the community, and it still does. Covid-19’s prevalence in society was one occurrence that brought this distrust to light as an unresolved issue. Older and young Black folk alike have trust issues with the medical community. This has led to some families’ reluctance to seek help for mental health problems – and the stigma of facing ridicule for reaching out for help.
I reached out to students to ask how they feel about the Black community’s mistrust of mental health professionals. I will refer to them as Students 1, 2, and 3. They were asked a few questions about on their own experiences with health professionals and mental health professionals alike.
How have your experiences been, navigating mental health?
Student 1: “Navigating support for my mental health has been challenging. I have encountered situations where my experiences have been minimized and invalidated, I was advised to disregard my concerns and proceed as normal.”
Student 2: “Unpleasant is an understatement. For the longest time it was difficult to even recognize that there was an issue.”
Student 3: “I have had a crazy journey with mental health. Diagnosed with general anxiety around age 15 and saw a psychologist for a few months. Then later diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder and ADHD in April of 2023. Overall, my mental health journey is still ongoing and I continue to make it a priority to continue to love myself and be sensitive when I have had those days.”
As a Black person, do you feel “seen” during medical visits?
Student 1: “I hate medical visits. I constantly find myself in a position where I must reiterate my health concerns to the doctor, in which they often seem disinterested or reluctant to address my specific issues. Moreover, I have observed a recurring deficiency in the prescription of appropriate medications. In critical situations, their recommendations were often drastic solutions to the issue. I often feel overlooked and inadequately cared for by those entrusted with my well-being.”
Student 2: “I am seeing a Black woman, which makes it easier to talk about racial experience, as my counselor has experienced similar events.”
Student 3: “I don’t always feel seen during my medical visits. I have had medical professionals overlook particular symptoms that ended up landing me in the hospital and evaluated for more serious neurological symptoms. When mentioning symptoms such as “tingling sensations” and “extreme fatigue,” they have often been brushed off until I have to see a specialist (who considers these symptoms crucial for diagnosis). Had I been heard the first time, I wouldn’t have had to be referred to several different specialists.”
Do you think Black mistrust of medical professionals is systematic? Where do you believe mistrust comes from?
Student 1: “The historical injustices and systemic biases the Black community has faced within the field of medicine are deeply troubling and have left enduring scars. Events such as the nonconsensual sterilization of Black women in the 1960s and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study are undeniable atrocities that have created a sense of mistrust and skepticism. Ongoing disparities in healthcare outcomes, as well as instances of unequal treatment, reinforce this mistrust. I’ve witnessed implicit biases within healthcare. It is valid for individuals, particularly within marginalized communities, to harbor reservations. The real question is, why should the Black community trust medicine?”
Student 2: “Generationally, I think it stems from the previous tests that took place on Black people. A majority white doctoral community and general racial stigma has not helped any trust. I don’t think white doctors can relate on the same level and their help on mental struggles would not be able to encapsulate the whole picture.”
Student 3: “From my personal experience, it’s a historical thing. Black people being the test dummies of mysterious drugs. On the other hand, it’s also the effect of the medications I was prescribed. Some of my family members were worried that my antidepressants and psychotics were going to cause me to become violent or aggressive. The unknown from what these medications can cause, has caused a ripple of worry for my family. The other mistrust was caused by the history of not being seen and heard. It’s a common opinion that medical professions just “pop pills” to fix things. A lot of Black people (at least from my perspective) feel that doctors just want to capitalize from our vulnerabilities and profit from our suffering, no matter what we may be going through.”
Do you think the bridge of mistrust can ever be repaired?
Student 1: “Yes, but it will take time. There needs to be improvements in representation, accountability, cultural competency and much more.”
Student 2: “I think this is a difficult question to answer. I believe there are good doctors out there. [Those] who respect and care for their patients, no matter what color their patient may be. I think there has to be a shift and proof that over time, medical professionals can be trusted with the issues of Black people. With prescriptions having high costs and the appointments themselves being expensive, professionals should understand the hardship that many people have. They should understand the perspective of the patient and come to a conclusion that feels thoroughly planned with the patient.”
Student 3: “Until white people can truly empathize with Black people I don’t believe it is a rift that can be mended. Generational trauma stemming from race is not something most white people can relate to.”
A New Bridge
In listening to these students’ voices, more must be done to understand the Black perspective on mental health and healthcare. As the students mentioned, to understand the problem is to get to the root of mistrust. The misunderstanding, the lack of empathy in history’s past, and the lack of accountability play vital roles in the refusal to reach out for help.
Although this bridge between Black folks and mental health is old and run down, we can learn from the people who are still willing to cross it for help. Then, we can take what we learn and begin to build the bridge anew.
Article featured photo by Abenezer Shewaga on Unsplash.