BIPOC Mental Health Awareness

[HeatherH]

What Does BIPOC Stand for?

BIPOC, which stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, refers to marginalized communities and minority groups. This term utilizes a racial equity and intersectional perspective to gain a better understanding of the diverse range of experiences that individuals and families with varied values, beliefs, and sexual orientations may face, which includes factors such as race, ethnicity, religion, and language.

Why does BIPOC mental health matter?

Individuals marginalized by those in power, including people of colour, have different life experiences compared to those who have not been devalued.

They often face overt racism and bigotry, which can result in a mental health burden more significant than others.

Racism is a mental health issue because it can cause trauma, which is a direct link to mental illness that needs to be addressed seriously.

Did You Know?

Native and Indigenous Americans report higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependence than any other ethnic or racial group.

2.7 million Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders have been diagnosed with a mental health and substance use disorder.

Adults who identify as Black are 20% more likely to report experiencing severe psychological distress than their White counterparts.

[Aly18]

Let me start by saying mental health is real and faced by every ethnic group be it the BIPOC or Europeans, Chinese, white etc. The difference is the coping mechanisms of each group of people who face mental health. 

I can take a gender base stance and say, that males have a higher rate of committing suicide because of their inability to cope with mental health issues. What about those people who identify as LGBTQ+ (At times I wonder with the increase + in this group if we are all not in the group anyway), who are at a greater risk of mental health issues because they believe they are not accepted? 

As a person who rarely spends time on social media platforms,  going onto it make me question if I have mental health issues, simply because the person I see on this platform are already struggling with mental health, but the problem we are having today is the normalization of mental health issues and taking normal things and placing them in the bracket of bigotry and racism, that needs to stop. Unfortunately, I don't see any of that stoping and th platform of TikTok of increased the level of mental health in the USA and the Western world. 

I was surprised how the eastern world such as China uses social media as an avenue to increase the learning of its youths, we use it to spread hate and negativity and also change what was always true, so now we don't even know the definition of simple words. 

Let's look at another aspect of mental health for sports personnel; Remember Simon Biles and her stepping back from the Olympics because of her mental health and how mainstream media vilify her. 

The lesson is that we all will face some form of mental health issue in our lives, the problem is our ability to find solutions to cope and to know when to step back and go into hiding to overcome the situation. Sometimes that means putting down the phone and going and reading a book. 

[HeatherH]

@Aly18 I completely relate to Aly's perspective. In the contemporary world, an increasing number of individuals are attempting to distance themselves from media due to its potential to affect our mental health severely. This leads to self-criticism, comparisons, and a continuous cycle of self-evaluation. It prompts the question: Why do we continuously invest our energy into something that doesn't truly serve our well-being? It becomes unnecessary if a certain element fails to serve its purpose in our lives. It's crucial to remind ourselves that social media is merely a tool. It lacks the power to dominate us; instead, we are the ones who grant it that influence.