BIPOC Information and Resources
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Introduction and Statistics
Did you know that nearly one in five U.S. adults (52.9 million in 2020) live with a mental health disorder? Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) experience disproportionate rates of mental health disorders, and these disorders tend to last longer and result in more significant disability for BIPOC communities. Adults identifying as multiracial (two or more races) are more likely than any other racial or ethnic group to report any mental illness within the past year (24.9%). American Indian / Alaska Natives are the next most likely to report mental illness (22.7%), followed by White people 19%) and Black people (16.8%). Black Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems like major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety. Additionally, American Indians/Alaskan Natives report higher rates of PTSD and alcohol dependence than any other ethnic or racial group.
Inadequate Access to Care
The vast majority of mental illness goes untreated, especially in communities of color, and lack of adequate treatment can have devastating consequences. Fifty-two percent of White people received mental health services in 2020, compared to 37.1% of Black people and 35% of Hispanic people. Service cost or lack of insurance coverage was the most frequently cited reason for not using mental health services across all racial /ethnic groups. During the COVID-19 pandemic, BIPOC have experienced a vast increase in rates of depression (up to 36.9% increase). Many BIPOC individuals continually confront stress and trauma in their lives as a result of racism, socioeconomic difficulty, stigmas, and barriers to adequate care and treatment, all of which combine to create far higher risk of mental health challenges.
Homelessness & Housing Issues
BIPOC communities are disproportionately impacted by homelessness and housing insecurity. These issues reflect long histories of discriminatory policies against BIPOC individuals, and they are closely intertwined with mental health issues. BIPOC Americans living below the federal poverty lines are twice as likely to report serious psychological stress as those living above the poverty line. The Black community comprises approximately 40% of the homeless population, 50% of the prison population, and 45% of the children in the foster care system.
Childhood Education & Inadequate Mental Health Care
BIPOC mental health issues are also intertwined with barriers to adequate education and lack of mental health care during childhood. Children experiencing psychiatric disorders often face negative outcomes, including poor social mobility and reduced social capital. In the BIPOC community, childhood depression has also been associated with increased welfare and unemployment. BIPOC youth suffering psychiatric and behavioral issues are far more likely to be disciplined or incarcerated than met with adequate mental health care. This cycle exacerbates preexisting mental health issues, causing difficulties with completing school ultimately preventing individuals from finding stable employment. Students of color, students with disabilities, and students that are impacted by trauma are disproportionately disciplined and arrested rather than receiving the support and services that could allow them to remain in the classroom.
Incarceration and Mental Health
BIPOC face disproportionate rates of incarceration, causing great harm to communities and individuals. Students who drop out of school prematurely—often due to systemic issues such as socioeconomic difficulty—are far more likely to end up in the criminal justice system. One in every ten BIPOC males is put into solitary confinement before the age of 32. According to the United Nations, solitary confinement is defined as torture, and can lead to PTSD, suicide, and the onset of psychotic episodes. Black men in the U.S. are sent to solitary confinement for capital punishment and tend to be confined for longer periods of time than their nonblack counterparts. BIPOC inmates are also disproportionately disciplined and often put in solitary confinement, which has been shown to exacerbate mental illness. Racial bias often prevents BIPOC from qualifying for diversion programs that could keep them out of jail allow access to mental health treatment while incarcerated.
Racism, Mistrust, and Barriers in Access to Care
BIPOC mental health issues are deeply rooted in racism, mistrust, and barriers to care. BIPOC communities have suffered centuries of racism, discrimination, and trauma, particularly in Black and Indigenous populations. There is often a well-founded mistrust of medical and mental health institutions due to long histories of violence and exploitation. This makes it more difficult for BIPOC to safely seek mental health services and receive care that meets their needs. As a result of racial discrimination, Black people are at an increased risk of developing psychosis, in part due to high rates of chronic stress and trauma. Racial trauma can also increase the risk of PTSD in BIPOC.
Stress plays a critical role in how discrimination impacts both mental and psychical health. BIPOC face microaggressions on a daily basis, encountering a form of racial trauma that can harm their identity and sense of self-worth, particularly when aggregated over time. Although Black families have more contact with mental health providers, fewer BIPOC individuals seek out family psychoeducation and other essential aspects of the treatment process due to the historic mistrust in the system. BIPOC are also disproportionately affected by a lack of access to quality health care, health insurance, and linguistically and culturally responsive health care. More than 80%of BIPOC are more concerned with the stigma associated with mental illness, which may discourage them from seeking treatment. Lack of cultural understanding by healthcare providers may contribute to underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis of mental health in ethnically diverse populations.
Seeking Professional Help
For those struggling with mental health disorders, professional support via medical or behavioral health care is often the best option. For those dealing with substance abuse disorders, treatment programs like detoxification, inpatient rehab, outpatient treatment, and 12-step meetings can be useful. Other mental health disorders may require a vast range of resources, including counseling/therapy, medication, housing and employment support, etc. If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health issues, it is important to seek help from qualified professionals. Feel free to contact us here at Consumer Advocate Network. Any one of the Advocacy staff members or the office Resource Specialists will be available to assist you with getting connected to the right resources depending on your concerns.
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The AAOKMA project aims to meet the mental health needs of Youth of Color by operating at three levels – raising consciousness among individuals, providing accessible tools for ongoing management, and changing systems to receive youth and provide better care.
Phone: (571) 486-3382
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The AAHI resource library contains a variety of mental health resources, including a mental health provider directory, self-care information, wellness toolkits, and more.
Phone: 240-777-4517
Email: Info@AAHIinfo.org -
The AMCH seeks to normalize and de-stigmatize mental health within the Asian community. Their vision is making mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide. The AMCH has a Facebook group, resource library, video web-series, and meetup groups.
Contact via website
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The Association of Black Psychologists offers a provider directory with 1,000+ Black mental health providers and experts. These providers offer counseling/psychotherapy, consultation, psychological evaluations, program evaluation services, and research consultation and support.
Phone: 301-449-3082
Email via website -
BEAM offers a variety of mental health resources for the Black community, including trainings, community events, peer support, and grants.
Partnership Inquiries: admin.account@beam.community
Event Inquiries: grants@beam.community
Training Opportunities: training@beam.community -
BGS is one of the leading organizations focusing on Black women and girls’ mental wellness. They empower young Black women and girls through culturally and gender-responsive educational programming, support initiatives, and resource connections.
Email: contact@blackgirlssmile.org
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The BMHA seeks to develop, promote and sponsor trusted culturally relevant educational forums, trainings, and referral services that support the health and well-being of Black peopole and their communities.
Phone: (410) 338-2642
Email: info@blackmentalhealth.com -
The Center for Black Women’s Wellness is a premier, community-based, family service center committed to improving the health and well-being of underserved Black women and their families. They provide programming in wellness, maternal and child health, and economic self-sufficiency.
Phone: (404) 688-9202
Email: info@cbww.org -
The Center for Native American Youth believes all Native American youth should lead full and healthy lives, have equal access to opportunity, and draw strength from their culture and one another. They work to improve the health, safety, and overall well-being of Native American youth through youth recognition, inspiration and leadership; research, advocacy, and policy change; serving as a national resource exchange; and by building a Native-youth-driven narrative.
Phone: (202) 736-2905
Email: cnayinfo@aspeninstitute.org
BIPOC Resources
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This guide includes 45 addiction and mental health resources for the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community. The site also includes information on anti-Asian hate crimes, mental health challenges in the AAPI community, youth-specific resources, and LGBTQ+ resources.
24/7 Helpline: 866-640-2212
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Eustress seeks to bring awareness to the importance of acknowledging, improving and preserving mental health, a topic often marked by stigma and denial, particularly in the black community.
Email: info@eustressinc.org
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The Focus on You is an inspirational blog run by a Latina therapist with information on self-care and mental health, particularly in the Latinx community.
Contact via website
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Inclusive Therapists provides a directory of therapists that offer care catered towards unique identities. The directory allows you to search by cultural knowledge, focus, insurance, languages, provider’s identity, services, sliding scale options, specialties, spiritual knowledge, and therapeutic approaches.
Contact via website
Call/Text Blackline: 800-604-5841
Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
Wildflower Alliance Peer Support Line: 888-407-4515
NAMI Helpline 24/7: Text "NAMI" TO 741741
Lines for Life: 800-273-8255 -
Created by a Latinx therapist and daughter of immigrants, Latinx Therapists offers a directory of Latinx therapists working in private practices. This resource also includes a podcast, courses and workshops, wellness resources, and more.
Contact via website
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Live Another Day provides information on mental health and substance use resources for BIPOC, curating non-biased lists of highly rated treatment providers and trusted resources. Their mission is equal access to life-saving resources. See the website for support resources for Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian, and Native and Indigenous Peoples.
24/7 Helpline: 866-720-1044
Email: info@liveanotherday.org
Contact via website -
The Loveland Foundation seeks to bring opportunity and healing to communities of color, and especially to Black women and girls. Through fellowships, residency programs, listening tours, and more, they ultimately hope to contribute to both the empowerment and the liberation of the communities they serve.
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MANA is a national grassroots membership organization that represents the interests of Latina women, youth and families. They engage in coalition advocacy efforts, social media campaigns, press interviews, and meetings with legislators. They also run several leadership training programs and mentoring programs.
Phone: 202-525-5113
Email: mananational@hermana.org
Contact via website -
The National Alliance for Hispanic Health is a premier science-based and community-driven organization that seeks to meet the mental health needs of Hispanic populations in the US. The National Hispanic Family Health Helpline provides free and confidential health information in Spanish and English
Helpline: 866-783-2645
Email: info@healthyamericas.com
Contact via website
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The NQTTCN is a healing justice organization committed to transforming mental health for queer and trans people of color (QTPoC). They work at the intersection of movements for social justice and the field of mental health to integrate healing justice into both of these spaces. They provide a range of therapy options, including both paid and unpaid options.
Email: info@nqttcn.com
Contact via website -
This directory contains the largest community of South Asian mental health therapists and counselors in the world. It allows you to search for culturally competent mental health professionals with Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Afghani, and Nepali heritage, among others.
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Written and curated by women of color, this guide features 61 top mental health and substance use resources for BIPOC communities. You can find general mental health resources for BIPOC individuals, as well as resources specific to BIPOC men, BIPOC women, youth and college students, and the LGBTQ population.
24/7 Helpline: (770) 821-6337
Email: contactus@thesummitwellnessgroup.com -
The Trevor Project is the largest organization dedicated to ending suicide among LGBTQ+ young people. They offer five key programs: crisis services, peer support, research, public education, and advocacy. They also offer specific support to those from marginalized racial and ethnic communities, such as Black LGBTQ youth.
Crisis Phone Line: 1-866-488-7386
Crisis Text Line: Text ‘START’ to 678-678
Phone: 212-695-8650
General Inquiries Email: info@thetrevorproject.org
Additional contact options via website -
Therapy for Black Men is dedicated to the mental wellness of Black men and boys. They have a rapidly growing directory of 432 therapists and 45 coaches, all of whom provide culturally competent, judgment-free care.
Email: info@therapyforblackmen.org
Contact via website -
Therapy for Latinx is a comprehensive directory of resources for the Latinx community to heal and become advocates for their mental health. These resources include crisis lines, therapist directories, mental health screening, and other national resources.
Phone: 323-457-8878
Email: therapyforlatinx@gmail.com
Contact via website -
We R Native provides comprehensive mental health and cultural resources for Native youth, by Native youth. They also offer guidance from other Natives, information on healthy relationships, and well-being resources.
Email: native@npaihb.org
Contact via website