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The Healthy Minds Study

If you're low income, you're a first-generation in your family to go to college, and if you're a person of color-- which those three often come together very commonly-- You are a significant risk for developing mental-health compromises throughout the college years. What are barriers in communities of color, around seeking counseling for mental health, how can we play a role in tearing them down?

Mental Health America

If you're low income if you're a first-generation in your family to go to college, and if you're a person of color-- which those three often come together very commonly-- You are a significant risk for developing mental-health compromises throughout the college years. What are barriers in communities of color, around seeking counseling for mental health, how can we play a role in tearing them down?

Clinical Associate Professor Ruth White explores the complex social dynamics that create hurdles to mental health care access within black communities and proposes new approaches to destigmatization.

National Alliance on Mental Illness

The Hispanic/Latinx community in the U.S. is very diverse, including people from many different nations and regions of the world. Individuals of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central American and South American descent have been part of the American cultural tapestry for centuries. As with any community, the mental health needs and experiences of Hispanic/Latinx people varies among subgroups.

While there is great diversity within this community, there are some shared cultural factors that connect people regardless of ancestry or national origin. For some, their indigenous roots are a source of pride. A large portion of this community speaks the Spanish language. There is also a shared connection of religious affiliations, strong family bonds, connections to extended networks and a resilient approach to life and work. Another common value in this community is “familismo,” a cultural foundation that emphasizes connectedness and a strong attachment and duty to one’s family.

Relative to race and ethnicity, what is it that students of color might be uniquely experiencing as stressors? Repeated exposure to incidents of racism, discrimination, microaggressions-- questions about belonging. And we know the research is very clear-- that repeated exposure to these types of experiences is highly correlated with an increase in psychological distress-- symptoms of depression, anxiety, hopelessness.