“It’s safer for me to stay home than for me to go to school.” This statement reflects the harsh reality of some teens in Baltimore’s red-lined neighborhoods. The street outside their homes echoes with gunshots, violence, and sirens. Gradually, anxiety builds quietly, goes unnoticed, and is untreated.
“Your zip code shouldn’t determine how healthy you are and how long you live,” says Dr. Lorrece Edwards, a Public Health Professor at Morgan State University specializing in adolescent health, community violence, and the structural and social drivers of health. She directs the Center for Sexual Health Advancement and Prevention Education (SHAPE) and has extensive experience addressing health disparities affecting youth in underserved communities.
For the most part, discussions about mental health have focused on the adult population. However, a 2021 report laid bare the growing crisis in adolescents’ mental health as nearly 21% of children aged three to seventeen had already been diagnosed with a mental, emotional, or behavioral health condition.
“Most college students face high levels of depression, anxiety, and trauma, resulting from multiple factors such as biological, biophysiological, and environmental factors, as well as how they view themselves and respond to stress. For minority youths, exposure to trauma and a lack of resources further contribute to mental health issues,” says Dr. Sonya Clyburn, a licensed clinical psychologist and Director of Counseling at Morgan State University. With over 15 years of experience, she specializes in trauma, grief, depression, cultural issues, and mental health among diverse populations.
Childhood mental health, according to the CDC, encompasses “achieving developmental and emotional milestones, learning healthy social skills, and learning how to cope when there are problems.” Therefore, when children struggle emotionally, it could disrupt their friendships and academic achievements.
Seeking Help
Longstanding mental health problems have only been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, notwithstanding that receiving care and support remains a concerning issue.
Both professionals agree that lack of access, stigma, and cultural silence are major barriers to mental health care for minority adolescents.
“Many public schools today don’t offer counseling anymore. Without mental health services being available in public schools as they were years ago, some kids won’t get that service out of anywhere else.” Professor Lorrece stressed that school counselors and nurses would occasionally support students beyond academics. They offered avenues for kids to speak about their personal struggles, home life, and emotional challenges, but many schools no longer have these critical employees due to budget cuts.
Stigma disrupts mental health help-seeking behaviors by those who need it. They may have a feeling of embarrassment or shame about being labeled as ‘crazy’ by others, especially among people of color. Often, they may internalize some of the negative stereotypes and beliefs about themselves. Low self-esteem, lack of self-efficacy and a sense of hopelessness don’t make it any better,” Dr Lorrece said.
In many minority communities, silence around mental health has been culturally inherited and reinforced. Breaking that silence requires affirming that mental health care is a right and students deserve to understand, talk about, and receive support for their emotional well-being. In Dr. Clyburn’s words, “It’s important to meet students where they are, letting them know it is their right to have positive mental health. It is their right to receive services, to know about how mental health impacts them.”
The Way Forward
Dr. Clyburn states “Mental health services are needed, not only by minority individuals. There are also other individuals struggling with mental health challenges, it doesn’t have a race, color or creed as it happens to everyone, so we all need to be diligent, providing services and programs, starting at an early age so an individual can exceed and succeed in life.”
In addition, “Parents could utilize resources, including participating in mental health first aid training; self-care books; free classes at hospitals; utilizing the library; and state-based support services.” She further urged that if a student or child exhibits impaired feelings or behavior, then support should be sought for them.
While the counseling director focuses on awareness, youth empowerment, and outreach strategies such as social media, Dr. Lorrece calls for broader system changes, addressing poverty, education, housing, and community disinvestment. Together, their insights highlight that meaningful progress requires both healing-centered care and structural reform.
Julia Boms is a public health researcher and writer with a focus on maternal, child and adolescent health, and behavioral health. As a health equity advocate, she is passionate about improving health outcomes for underserved populations.