Dr. Harris Black Lives Matter Show - Black Drug Addiction & Mental Illness

Black/African Americans hold beliefs related to stigma, psychological openness, and help-seeking, which in turn affects their coping behaviors. Generally speaking, the participants in this study were not very open to acknowledging psychological problems, but they were somewhat open to seek mental health services.

• Thirty percent of participants reported having a mental illness or receiving treatment for a mental illness
• Black/African Americans men are particularly concerned about stigma.
• Cohort effects, exposure to mental illness, and increased knowledge of mental illness are factors which could potentially change beliefs about symptoms of mental illness.
• Participants appeared apprehensive about seeking professional help for mental health issues, which is consistent with previous research. However, participants were willing to seek out some form of help.

Treatment Issues

• Black/African Americans today are over-represented in our jails and prisons.  People of color account for 60 percent of the prison population. Black/African Americans also account for 37 percent of drug arrests, but only14 percent of regular drug users (illicit drug use is frequently associated with self-medication among people with mental illnesses). [6]
• Because less than 2 percent of American Psychological Association members are Black/African America.