Mental Health in Black Communities: Remembering Mary Seacole
Mental Health in Black Communities: Remembering Mary Seacole
Statistics on mental health in Black communities indicate that although Black populations have mental health disorder rates similar to White ones, mental illness is more likely to go untreated and has more detrimental impacts among people of color. As of 2015, only about 30% of Black individuals received mental health services compared with 46% of White individuals.
Black and African American Communities and Mental Health
Some of the many grave and long-standing factors that contribute to poor mental health in the Black community include:
Historical dehumanization and present trauma. Black communities have endured a centuries-long history of civil rights abuses, forms of explicit and implicit bias, and inherent racism across societal systems, all of which persist today. All of these have made for an equally long history of strain on mental health. Currently, this strain is compounded by the trauma of pandemic-related racial disparities as well as the recent murder of George Floyd and other Black Americans by police officers and civilians.
Psychological distress and inequitable healthcare access associated with poverty. Mental healthcare costs and lack of insurance are the leading reasons that people across all racial groups don’t receive treatment, and Black communities are likelier than others to be excluded from health resources. As of 2019, 18.8% of Black people lived in poverty compared with 7.3% of Whites; 11.5% had no health insurance. Underinvested communities often don’t have proximity to care providers, which adds to the problem.
Historical and continuing mistrust of the healthcare system. Black Americans are more likely to distrust medical care providers because of historical civil rights abuses inflicted by medical institutions. Today, racism in the healthcare industry is reflected in continuing misdiagnoses of and insufficient medical treatment for Black individuals, including in mental health concerns. The resulting distrust of medical and mental healthcare systems means that more Black Americans’ mental illnesses go untreated.
Stigma around mental illness and seeking help for it. Black communities, and Black men in particular, have a strong tendency to reinforce and be impacted by stigmas around mental illness. One study indicated that 63% of Black people associate mental illness with personal weakness. The prevalence of this attitude makes it all the more difficult for individuals to acknowledge the signs of mental illness in themselves or loved ones and seek help.
Caregiving and Mental Health: Remembering Mary Seacole
Even a quick scan of a brief Mary Seacole biography online reveals that she was no stranger to the damaging psychological effects of racism, financial struggle, and other forms of suffering. Seacole was a British Jamaican nurse, hotelier, and traveler. She is known first for treating cholera victims in Panama, Cuba, and Jamaica in 1852, then for providing comfort and care to convalescing soldiers during the Crimean War from 1854-1856. Her generous efforts were often rejected because of her color, but her perseverance saved many lives over the years.
Marys Seacole, a drama by Pulitzer Prize winner Jackie Sibblies Drury, is based partly on Seacole’s autobiography. It examines the tropes and roles of women as caregivers through time even as it blurs the lines between past and present.
Given the injustices and mental health conflicts experienced by Black Americans in all time periods, this is especially poignant. As a New York Times writer puts it, the play’s treatment of time can “make progress, on some levels, feel like a myth.” Yet given its focus on recognizing the struggles and triumphs of all “Marys,” watching the play offers a way for audiences to process the past and present in meaningful ways. Taking time to process historical and personal events is an important part of good mental health for everyone, regardless of race or gender.
See Marys Seacole at Mosaic Theater May 4-29, 2022
The Mosaic Theater Company in Washington, DC produces bold, culturally diverse theater that illuminates critical issues, elevates fresh voices, and sparks connections among communities throughout our region and beyond amid the most important events of our times.
Dedicated to making our theater an inclusive model of diversity at every stratum, on stage and off, Mosaic invests in the new as we keep abreast of our changing and challenging times. We do this to ensure that our theater is a responsive gathering space, all the while nurturing and producing art of the highest order.
From May 4 through May 29, 2022, Mosaic will feature performances of Drury’s MARYS SEACOLE directed by Eric Ruffin. This play is partially based on the autobiography of Mary Seacole and follows her extraordinary journey from mid-1800s Jamaica to the frontlines of the Crimean War to a modern-day nursing home.
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