As conversations surrounding mental health continue to make progress and become less taboo for many, members of the Ad Council and Huntsman Mental Health Institute remind us we still have a ways to go.
LISTEN NOW: Putting the spotlight on the mental health of Black and Hispanic men
Chief Campaign Development Officer at the Ad Council, Heidi Arthur and Chief Executive Administrator for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, William Smith, recently joined Audacy host Matt Leon for a conversation surrounding mental health, highlighting the groups that struggle to talk about it the most.
“Many people, millions of people in our country are struggling with their mental health and our research showed that actually 70 million people say they’re struggling with their mental health,” said Arthur before sharing that within that group is a smaller population that feel less inclined to reach out due to stereotypes and stigmas.
Smith revealed that sub-group is made up of Black and Latino men who fight daily battles others don’t experience due to the color of their skin. Smith refers to this as racial battle fatigue.
“What it is, is a systemic racism-related, repetitive stress injury,” he explained of the concept he came up with 20 years ago. “Just imagine for a moment, the George Floyd situation. What was the impact of that for many other African-American men who might have had similar encounters? Or believe that experience could be them one day?”
He continued, “That takes a toll on your body — having to worry about getting in the car, or walking down the street and how you're perceived. Or feeling that you’re perceived as a threat… It compromises our physical health, our mental health, our morbidity and mentality… For groups of Americans of color — people of color in this society — they deal with these micro and macro aggressions on the day-to-day basis.”
While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to mitigating the issue, professionals like Arthur and Smith continue to fight the good fight by sharing resources, information and launching PSAs like their Love, Your Mind campaign. While focused on spreading information for all individuals struggling with their mental health, Smith says there’s a big part of the campaign focused on meeting those that struggle the most where they’re at.
“We want to look at those sub-populations who might have those racial micro aggressions and experiences that compromise mental health…. What we want to do is to make sure people realize that it’s normal to one, struggle, but it’s also normal to have mental health challenges,” said Smith. “With this campaign, what we are hoping is that the people who see it, experience it, will say, ‘That’s my lived experience, that’s how I show up, and I want to be better.’”
Added Arthur, “The Love, Your Mind campaign is being launched to really help people prioritize their own mental health, to view their own mental health as a sign of strength, as something that they need to take care of first and foremost. It’s meant to be, really a love letter, from your mind to you, reminding yourself that the most important relationship in your life… is you and your mental health and well-being.”
For more information on the campaign, visit Loveyourmindtoday.org. To hear more on Smith and Arthur’s conversation regarding the mental health of Black and Hispanic men, check out their entire interview above in partnership with Audacy’s I’m Listening initiative.
Audacy's I’m Listening initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources here.