Education on mental health, expanding awareness of mental disorders, and normalizing black mental health issues can help people recognize that mental treatment for such a disorder does not need to be taboo. Also, it is important for mental healthcare providers to also cater to people in the black community. People who are affected the most by stigma are those who suffer from mental disorders. By educating everyone about these mental disorders, we can eliminate the discrimination that can happen.

Many organizations promote mental wellness. Among these groups is the Center for Mental Health Services Research (CMHSR), the Black Mental Health Association of the Americas (BMHA), and the Urban Justice Institute. In addition, many organizations specifically address black mental health issues, such as Black Mental Health Collective (BMHC). The National Alliance for Mental Health (NAGH) and the Black Mental Health Treatment Alternatives (BMHT) are some organizations that I have personally been a part of.

Because black communities are traditionally seen as the “at-risk” group, mental disorders’ stigma is even worse. For that reason, mental health care providers have to work especially hard to develop culturally competent efforts. Unfortunately, culturally competent practices lack both funding and support from the medical community and local jurisdictions. However, by creating websites that allow black patients to share their experiences, the organization can raise funding and awareness about this important service.

Some websites allow users to comment or write blogs about their mental illness experience. Blogs can be shared by people who live in the same community and share what they have learned about black people and mental disorders from various vantage points. This type of blog helps provide a counter-narrative to the culture’s false beliefs about mental illnesses. It helps to normalize treatment procedures that have been viewed as suspect by black people and their families for generations.

In addition to blogging, websites allow black adults to participate in online message boards specifically designed for black adults grappling with psychological distress. Through these interactive platforms, black adults can discuss experiences that may have been painful to them when they were younger. Furthermore, by taking a proactive role in forums, they are helping to build solidarity among peers in their community and groups throughout the nation. This solidarity is crucial to building support for black mental health organizations that serve black youth, young adults, women, and men.

With limited access to quality educational options, blacks are facing incredible challenges when it comes to attaining and passing on vital information about mental wellness that helps them combat these struggles and maintain a sense of mental wellness even into adulthood.