The Need:
Diving into the Disparities
Mental illness services are needed now more than ever before. However, the stigma around mental illness and seeking help remains. Help for disorders is often avoided or delayed due to the stigma surrounding those who suffer from mental illness. Fear of disparaging treatment and the possibility of losing one’s livelihood often discourages one from seeking the help that quite often is so desperately needed. Those suffering from mental illness are often discriminated against and marginalized and it is often made worse or compounded when they are persons of color. Quite often this prejudice can be not so obvious. It may be quite hard to see or recognize, therefore giving way to a massive amount of stigma. Mental illness ranks high amongst the most common health conditions and ranks low for treatment, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, due to mental health stigma. This stigma can be eradicated by addressing marginalization, prejudice, and discrimination against people with mental illness and understanding what mental illness truly is.
Here is a dive into the disparities before and after the pandemic, categorized into various demographic and geographical groups.
And when isolation increases, in the case of COVID 19, more elderly men and women suffer from both depression and feelings of isolation. This ends up translating to a weakened immune system and in the end a higher risk of premature death due to the inability to fight viruses and disease.
country/
education level.
Each country around the world is different not only in how mental health is portrayed but also in the treatments that are available to people. Lack of awareness, stigma and limited access is widespread in all countries. To give you a basic idea of what those differences and similarities look like, we will be discussing two countries: Australia and Brazil.
Within Australia there has been a push for community-based care rather than institutional levels of care. In Australia, there are more resources, but the stigma around mental health is still widespread. Likewise in Brazil, stigma around mental health is widespread but resources are more limited. In countries like Brazil where the geographical terrain is diverse it creates a problem of access. With countries such as Brazil that are still developing, stigma, a lack of resources and access can be partially attributed to a lack of education. Not just a lack of education about mental health, but a lack of education overall. Research has shown that the more educated people are the less they are to stress about aspects of life such as job security and poverty. This leads to a higher risk of developing mental health issues.
Every country is unique in how mental health is handled and what resources are available. It is to the benefit of every human on this earth to have a more comprehensive system of mental health outreach, resources and education.
gender (LGBTQIA+).
Mental health is extremely prevalent amongst minority communities. On the basis of gender, the experience is different amongst different groups. For men, women, people that identify other than male or female, and members within the LGBTQ+ community, access, the stigma around mental health and lack of awareness is a problem.
For people that identify as male, there is a preconception of masculinity that can be mentally crippling. In many cultures and societies, boys are told that “men don’t cry'' and other sayings that greatly contribute to the idea that men are supposed to tough it out when it comes to emotional and mental struggles. This idea within society is not right and each person should know that their feelings matter.
Stigmas and stereotypes like those above are also prevalent within other groups. LGBTQ+ teens are 6 times more likely to experience symptoms of depression than non-LGBTQ+ identifying teens.
Each community is different in how they are impacted by mental health, nonetheless, everyone should get the best care possible when it comes to mental health access, resources and awareness.
race/
ethnicity.
Our purpose is to ensure equality in mental health care and make it easily accessible and financially feasible for those suffering and or without healthcare regardless of race and ethnicity.
Our purpose is to ensure equality in mental health care and make it easily accessible and financially feasible for those suffering and or without healthcare regardless of race and ethnicity.
We understand there’s a long-standing history of disparities in mental and behavioral health for persons of color. The American Psychological Association has shown that minorities suffering from mental illness may experience symptoms that are “undiagnosed, under-diagnosed, or misdiagnosed for cultural, linguistic, or historical reasons.”
data breakdown
In an attempt to further conceptualize and showcase the mental health deterioration, here is a depiction of more data based on our own survey responses, as well as outside research.
Before the COVID pandemic, the majority of the mental health among respondents was in a "good" state.
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During the COVID pandemic, there is an alarming increase in respondents categorizing their mental health in the lower-averaged scales of poor, fair, and average, with a decrease in how the majority once previously rated their mental health as good before the pandemic.
the impact of mental health on various groups during covid.
so...what now?
disclaimer: we understand and recognize that not every demographic group is not yet represented on our education page, such as religious groups, people with disabilities, and more, as they all further reveal the intricacies and complexities of mental health. we hope you can gain relevant insight into the demographics that are currently depicted as we work to continue making our research as inclusive and intersectional as possible.
looking into mental health by...
before and after covid.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, mental health services were and continue to be substandard. The World Health Organization (WHO) called attention to the underfunding of mental health services, stating that countries were spending less than 2 percent of their national health budget on mental health, preceding the Covid pandemic.
age.
As people get older the natural body changes due to aging. Research has shown that this may increase a person's risk of experiencing depression. In a lot of cases, everything psychological is biological. According to the American Psychological association, “The mortality rate for elderly men and women suffering from both depression and feelings of loneliness is higher.”
Due to underfunding, countries struggle to meet their population’s mental health needs. During the Covid pandemic, mental health services were halted in 93 percent of countries worldwide, even though the demand for mental health services skyrocketed. As expected, numerous people may be experiencing loss of income, fear, and isolation, triggering mental health conditions or even worsening existing ones due to the pandemic.