A guide for BIPOC, peers, managers & leaders
As July and BIPOC mental health month come to a close, let’s let this not be an ending, but a springboard to making BIPOC mental health matter all year round. Here, I talk about the history of BIPOC Mental Health Month, the unique impacts on BIPOC mental health, and workplace suggestions for peers, managers, and leaders who want to support their BIPOC colleagues.
History
Founded in July 2008 as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, BIPOC mental health month aims to bring greater understanding and awareness to the unique mental health experiences and challenges faced by BIPOC communities in the United States. Bebe Moore Campbell was a Black American author, journalist, teacher, and mental health advocate, who worked diligently to provide greater mental health education and end stigma around mental illness among BIPOC.
The term BIPOC refers to Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color. ‘POC’ alone was used until recently, when separate identifiers for Black and Indigenous were added to highlight the unique systemic inequities and discrimination that Black and Indigenous individuals and communities experience in the United States — as the two racial/ethnic groups that did not choose to willingly be part of this country.
While anyone can experience struggles with their mental health, BIPOC experience systemic discrimination and inequity that can exacerbate existing mental health issues, and/or cause mental health issues of their own. Put differently, all human beings experience the stressors of life: financial worries, relationship challenges, life changes, grief, loss etc. BIPOC, however, experience these universal human stressors in addition to the stressors of systemic inequity; this combination can yield an exponentially negative effect on BIPOC mental health.
“...all human beings experience the stressors of life: financial worries, relationship challenges, life changes, grief, loss...BIPOC, however, experience these universal human stressors in addition to the stressors of systemic inequity; this combination can yield an exponentially negative effect on BIPOC mental health.”
Barriers to Treatment Seeking
What’s more is that when considering seeking support for these experiences, many BIPOC are faced with a healthcare system that perpetuates the same discrimination and inequity. From the past (e.g. biological racism used to justify slavery, Tuskegee Syphilis Study, Puerto Rico birth control clinical trials, forced spread of disease to Indigenous populations) until today (e.g. disproportionate diagnoses of serious mental illness, black maternal health crisis), BIPOC experience the same discrimination in health care as in the larger world; thus, many BIPOC individuals are understandably reluctant to seek care when experiencing mental health issues. Over time, this reluctance has morphed into some deep stigmas around mental health and treatment seeking in many communities of color. Given that social programs designed to mitigate some of the harms of systemic inequity – like affirmative action and the Fearless Fund – are being disbanded, and the ensuing stress this may create for many BIPOC, a focus on BIPOC mental health becomes even more important and necessary.
While BIPOC are not a monolith and the following list does not capture every BIPOC experience, here are some common BIPOC mental health experiences and challenges to treatment seeking:
Silence around mental health issues in BIPOC communities, and a resulting fear of seeking treatment due to systemic oppression: Compared with white people, BIPOC are significantly less likely to seek treatment for mental health issues; American Indians or Alaskan Natives are 75% as likely to utilize mental health services, Black or African Americans and Latinx people are half as likely, and Asian people are a quarter as likely.
Mental health issues manifest physically: Due to the silence around mental health issues and other cultural factors, in many BIPOC communities it can be common for mental health conditions to manifest as physical illness, such as stomachaches, headaches, or “nerves”. Without a culturally aware healthcare provider, who knows to ask the right assessment questions, these mental health issues can go undiagnosed – with futile attempts being made to treat only the physical symptoms, not the underlying mental health issue.
Turning to religious or community leaders or spaces: Many people in BIPOC communities will often turn to religious leaders or community spaces such as barber shops, beauty salons, or other community gathering places for mental health support. While these spaces are necessary for their own designated purposes and in many instances have become de facto support spaces, they are still not equipped with trained mental health professionals to address such issues (although current community-based studies are aiming to train individuals in these spaces as mental health first aid responders).
Difficulty accessing care: Another key impact of systemic inequity on BIPOC is lack of equal pay; this can impact many BIPOC individuals' ability to obtain and pay for adequate, culturally aware mental health treatment.
Lack of diverse representation among healthcare providers: For the BIPOC who do overcome the stigma and fear of the U.S. healthcare system, and who have the financial means to seek treatment, they are often then faced with lack of diverse representation among providers and a lack of providers who look like them. Out of all therapists, Asian Americans comprise 11%, Latinx therapists 8%, and Black therapists 4%.
BIPOC mental health month seeks to provide education around these negative impacts on BIPOC mental health, and destigmatize negative mental health beliefs among communities of color so that BIPOC can get the support they need to live emotionally informed and mentally healthy lives.
“BIPOC mental health month seeks to provide education around these negative impacts on BIPOC mental health, and destigmatize negative mental health beliefs among communities of color so that BIPOC can get the support they need to live emotionally informed and mentally healthy lives.”
BIPOC Mental Health at Work
In the workplace, BIPOC have an additional experience of systemic inequity and discrimination. A 2021 SHRM study showed that 42% of Black people, 26% of Asian people, and 21% of Latinx/Hispanic people experienced discriminatory treatment in the workplace due to their race and ethnicity over the last five years, compared with only 12% of white people.
Such experiences of racial trauma and microaggressions at work can negatively impact BIPOC mental and physical health. Specifically, BIPOC report feelings of anger, exclusion, and loneliness, and feeling as if there’s no one at work to turn to for help. These experiences can lead to a particular kind of exhaustion, overwhelm, and burnout for BIPOC in the workplace, which white co-workers are not experiencing. SHRM found that such experiences lead to a decrease in productivity, and an increase in absenteeism and attrition, ultimately at costs to companies in the billions. So: how do we support BIPOC mental health in the workplace?
For BIPOC
Learning how to be empowered about your own mental health and well being is crucial to living a fulfilling life. If you’re struggling with your mental health, consider some of these practices:
Make time and space to acknowledge your feelings and emotions. You may have been socialized to ignore and stuff your feelings. Starting with a feeling wheel to name what you’re feeling, can help you figure out what you might need in any given moment.
Find healthy ways to process your experiences. Many people – BIPOC or not – turn to unhealthy coping strategies (alcohol, substances, food, spending, gambling etc.). Take stock of how you’re coping and whether you need to introduce healthier coping strategies. You might consider exercise, enjoyable movement, meditation, or connecting with friends/peers.
Seek therapy from a culturally aware therapist. See this list for some resources to start you on your search.
For Peers/Individual Contributors
Co-workers’ influence and impact on each other is significant, with some debate that it may even be greater than that of managers. To positively impact your BIPOC co-workers, consider the following:
Uplift the work of your BIPOC colleagues. Women, Black and Latinx workers receive the least actionable and direct feedback at work. Do what you can to shift the tide and name and acknowledge the contributions of your BIPOC colleagues.
Increase your awareness of workplace inequity. If you notice that your BIPOC colleagues are being treated differently than you, don’t ignore it. Reflect, research, and discuss with a trusted friend/colleague. If you have a strong enough relationship with the BIPOC colleague who is being impacted, talk with them about how you can be helpful. Let them know they’re not alone.
For Managers
Managers have a major impact on employee well being – greater than the impact of one’s doctor or therapist, and tied only with someone’s spouse; managers are uniquely positioned to support their team members' mental health. While many of these suggestions can support all employees, given the impacts of systemic inequity on BIPOC, utilizing these practices with BIPOC employees can be especially meaningful:
Ask employees how they’re doing and listen to understand – not just to problem solve. Acknowledge their efforts and contributions. Champion their growth. Let them know that you really see them and their humanity, and that you care. A recent study shows that taking a coaching approach to managerial issues really works.
Learn and be empathetic to BIPOC mental health. Be aware of how mental health issues manifest among BIPOC (e.g. physical issues as mentioned above, fatigue, physical illness, or missing time from work etc.). Discuss it in a non-invasive way and point them in the direction of help. You might say something like:
“Sometimes when people [get frustrated, have recurring illness, miss a lot of work – insert whatever you’ve observed in your employee] they might be struggling with their emotions or dealing with their mental health. I’m not sure if that’s what’s happening with you and you’re not obligated to tell me anything, but I’m always here to listen. And here’s a reminder of our company’s mental health resources [reorient them to your company’s mental health benefits]. In the meantime, is there anything I can do to support you?”
Encourage rest and time off. This could mean No Meeting Fridays, opting for phone meetings rather than Zoom meetings, occasionally offering team members to come in late or log off early. Flexibility at work is key to employee happiness and productivity.
For Leaders
Leadership determines whether a company is moving toward or away from equity, and subsequently whether the workplace is helping or hurting BIPOC mental health. Here is what leadership can do.
Keep investing in DEI. There’s a lot of rumblings lately (and legislation in some states) that DEI is over. DEI isn’t dead! As long as we have diverse workplaces, we need DEI. Like any discipline, approaches to DEI will shift and change over time. Make sure your organization doesn’t throw the proverbial baby out, and shifts and changes alongside it.
Reflect & model accountability. Research and reflect on how your organization may have benefited from opportunities that were denied to BIPOC or BIPOC-led businesses (e.g. opportunities to secure loans, build physical office buildings, gain clients and prestige etc.), or how your organization may have directly harmed BIPOC communities. Share your research and reflections and outline your commitment to right wrongs via clear actionable steps. And then put those steps into action. Make your action plan known, and follow up publicly as you hit your milestones.
Show that BIPOC mental health matters. Connect with different BIPOC mental health associations such as the Association for Black Psychologists, National Latino Psychological Association, Asian American Psychological Association, American Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African Psychological Association, and Society of Indian Psychologists. Ask your employees what mental health topics they want more information on, and engage guest speakers from these orgs in contracts with your company.
Show up as the Executive Sponsor for BIPOC mental health events. Your presence matters and makes events more meaningful. Show your people that BIPOC mental health matters to you.
The @zerowastechef once said, “We don’t need a handful of people doing sustainability perfectly, we need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” The same goes for supporting BIPOC Mental Health — we don’t need a ‘perfect’ single month in July when we write the articles and share the tips and do the lip service, we need 365 days a year, done imperfectly, but with heart. Let’s get free.