The Silent Disparity: Black Men and Mental Healthcare
(full story below)
Across the nation, Black men face a looming mental health crisis in silence. From first response to in-patient care, Black men are often misdiagnosed and mistreated by establishments created to help those in need. Stigmas hold some men back from seeking help while others are denied proper care from an inequitable system that does not address the needs of the marginalized demographic.
A recent analysis shows that Black men have the highest rate of psychiatric related emergency room visits but are least likely to be admitted or transferred to a hospital for care. So, when Darian Yates succumbed to first-episode psychosis (FEP) in August, loved ones scrambled to understand his rapid descent from reality.
“There was too much on my plate, but I couldn’t show it,” said the Washington, D.C. native. “I was stressed but I thought I could keep it together. Everyone else did, too.”
Over time, his poorly managed anxiety soon made way for paranoia and delusions. Though unfamiliar, Darian was suffering anxiety-induced psychosis. “Suddenly, everything felt unsafe; I couldn’t trust my own thoughts,” Darian said. Needing medical help with historically limited resources, his family compelled him to visit the ER but was promptly discharged without treatment.
The same day, Darian would land back in the ER, now handcuffed from police procurement.
A study published by The American Psychiatric Association notes Black men are most likely to be committed involuntarily when corresponding with police involvement. Darian’s experience would be no different. Once committed, he was considered combative for refusing a psychoactive drug, grandiose for speaking “too proper”, and aggressive for asserting his basic needs.
“How was I supposed to get better? They treated me like a criminal for asking too many questions,” reflected Darian on being committed. “I wasn’t getting help and couldn’t advocate for myself. I felt like I was being punished for being Black and unwell.”
It would be three weeks before he would be released. Clinician bias, which affect many Black men seeking treatment, negatively impacted his diagnostic assessment. Without medical testing or a previous history, Darian was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. His family rallied to demand answers and, recognizing his mistreatment, demanded his release.
Upon his discharge, the facility provided no referral for outpatient treatment.
The data is undeniable – the system is failing Black men. But addressing their mental healthcare disparity is complex. It requires a comprehensive approach that considers cultural, social, and systemic factors to ensure equitable mental health services and improved outcomes for Black men. It demands an acknowledgement of historical traumas with present stereotypes and stigmas harbored by the medical industry. Ultimately, it calls for Black mental health professionals to take seats at the treatment table. Provider diversity evokes mutual sociocultural understanding between patient and provider while redirecting an otherwise biased profession away from archaic misconceptions regarding Black men.
As for Darian, his challenging experience encouraged him to seek more helpful outlets.
“I left there knowing I wasn’t okay; I needed help,” Darian said. “My fiancé called all over the city for mental health providers, someone who understood what it means to be me: a Black man taking it a day at a time. What’s helping me the most is just talking it out and being heard. Now I tell myself, “It’s okay Darian, you can let your guard down here.””
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