HEALTH MATTERS TOO social media negatively impacts Black youth.
Another factor that heavily contribget treatments, it’s usually through the utes to these kid’s poor mental state is juvenile justice system. It’s things like simple, overt discrimination. A report this that need to change. Everyone has a released by The American Phycological right to receive good healthcare but for Association, in 2017, stated that persome reason people want to corrupt an ceived discrimination has been shown already tainted system. to contribute to It’s mental health understanddisorders among able to be igethnic groups. norant about Another report, things, but released by the it’s your job Office of Disease to educate Prevention and yourself Health Prowhen that motion, states ignorance that everyday becomes discrimination a problem. can turn into a Black carconstant stressor egivers out and increase there, please one’s chances educate of developing a yourselves mental illness. and try to Gabrielle Lashley There is a get your certain stigma child the about getting help for your mental best health care you possibly can. To the state in the Black community that not Black youth reading this, always be carea lot of people know about. A lot of ful of what you consume online. The fact African-American guardians think that that the internet has access to photos if their child gets help, they would be and videos of police brutality isn’t a bad labeled as “crazy”and that they just thing. But it can be when your mental need to grow up and get over it, but this health is at stake. mindset can be very hurtful toward their When you see things like this, don’t kids. The adults in the Black community be afraid to talk to your friends and should be working together to get their family about the state the world is in and children good mental health care instead about your own mental health. To any of keeping the mentality of, ‘This is how school administrators, in times like this, we’ve always done it.’ it’s essential you reach out to your Black Mental health facilities also have a students and try to provide them with lot of racial inequities engraved in their the mental health care they may not be system. This has really put the brakes on getting. any type of strides taken to improve the The importance of mental health mental health of adolescents of color. can be so easily overlooked when it According to an article released by The comes to the Black community. It’s alAmerican Psychological Association, in ways important to remember that Black 2020, Black youths are less likely than lives’ mental health matters too. their white peers to receive any treatInstagram @yogabbygabby_l ments for depression, and when they do
“
The fact that the internet has access to photos and videos of police brutality isn’t a bad thing. But it can be when your mental health is at stake.
”
Opinion | October 2020
9
