MENTAL HEALTH STATISTICS
African Americans Are At-Risk for Mental and Behavioral Health Problems
25%
Over 25% of African American youth exposed to violence have proven to be at high risk for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Office of the US Surgeon General, 2001). Psychologists can teach community intervention methods, such as dialogue and coalition building, as well as interpersonal communication, negotiation, mediation, and community organizing. For traumatic stress, psychologists can encourage youth to contemplate the psychosocial impact of violence, loss, and suffering, as well as crisis response skills (O'Connor, 2001).
40%
of youth in the criminal justice system and 45% of children in foster care are African American (Office of the US Surgeon General, 2001). Psychologists can work to eliminate or reduce behaviors prevalent in foster care children, such as aggression, fighting, negativism, and isolation (Kersting, 2005).
2X
African Americans are nearly twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to be diagnosed with schizophrenia (Snowden, 2001). Psychologists have become an integral part in programs that help treat schizophrenic patients, allowing them to live normal, independent lives by teaching them to handle the symptoms and effects of schizophrenia, such as voices or delusions (McGuire, 2000).
10%
African Americans are twice as likely to have diabetes as whites, substantially more likely to die of stroke, and around 10% more likely to have some form of heart disease (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). Psychologists play an essential role in helping people modify their behavior to prevent and recover from chronic illnesses like these. They have developed treatment and prevention programs for some of America’s most serious behaviorally-based health problems.
