May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This year, Five Health is focusing on the specific barriers that Black and Latinx communities face when seeking mental health care—and what we can do about it.

The Stigma Is Real

In many communities of color, talking about mental health carries heavy stigma. Depression and anxiety are sometimes dismissed as weakness or lack of faith. Therapy is seen as something for “crazy people” or only for white folks.

These beliefs are rooted in cultural messages passed down through generations, often tied to histories of trauma, systemic racism, and distrust of medical systems that have harmed communities of color.

The result: people suffer in silence. They don’t seek help until a crisis point. Or they never seek help at all.

The Barriers Go Beyond Stigma

Even when someone in a community of color decides to seek mental health care, they face additional obstacles:

• Shortage of therapists who look like them or understand their cultural context
• Lack of insurance or inability to afford out-of-pocket costs
• Language barriers for non-English speakers
• Providers who misdiagnose or dismiss their concerns
• Fear of judgment or discrimination

Why This Matters

Mental health issues affect all communities, but communities of color often face higher rates of trauma exposure—including poverty, discrimination, violence, and immigration stress—while having less access to treatment.

Untreated mental health conditions lead to worse physical health outcomes, strained relationships, lost work, and sometimes self-medication through substances.

Changing the Narrative

We need to normalize mental health care in the same way we’ve normalized going to the doctor for physical health. That means:

• Talking openly about mental health in families, churches, and community spaces
• Recognizing that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness
• Finding culturally responsive providers who respect and understand lived experiences
• Supporting peer-led mental health initiatives in communities of color

Resources That Exist Right Now

• Therapy for Black Girls (therapyforblackgirls.com): Directory of Black therapists
• Latinx Therapy (latinxtherapy.com): Directory of Latinx mental health providers
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): Free support groups and education in English and Spanish
• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 for free 24/7 support
• SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357 (free, confidential, 24/7, English and Spanish)

Five Health’s resource navigators can also connect you with local, low-cost, culturally responsive mental health services. Reach us at info@5-health.com or through the Community Connect app.

Your mental health matters. You deserve support.

Find mental health resources at 5-health.com/resources