Black Masculinity and

Mental Health: How to

Move Past Outdated Roles
and Encourage Better Care
Expectations surrounding Black masculinity, such as the requirement to be strong
and stoic, have often prevented Black men from seeking mental health care. But it's
possible to overcome this reluctance and make mental wellness a priority.

By Maia Niguel Hoskin, PhDMedically Reviewed by Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA,

FAPA
Reviewed: November 30, 2021
It's no secret that exposure to racism and discrimination is linked to various adverse
mental health outcomes. The effects of systemic racism on Black Americans have
been persistent and profound, as the National Alliance on Mental Illness
(NAMI) points out, and the increase in media reports and images of police brutality
and violence inflicted upon members of the Black community has added insult to
injury.

The impact can be chronic, says Angela Neal-Barnett, PhD, a professor of

psychology and the director of the Program for Research on Anxiety Disorders
Among African Americans at Kent State University in Ohio. “Traumatic events
related to racism have been unrelenting for Blacks. In good times, racism is a
stressor; in bad times, racism is trauma,” she says.

As mental health challenges continue to rise in this community, some Black

Americans still aren’t receiving the mental health care and treatment they may need.
This is especially true for Black men, who are not only affected by the general
barriers to medical treatment that many in the Black community face, but who also
have internalized certain behaviors that fit within the social constructs of Black
masculinity — ultimately impacting their help-seeking behaviors. Despite known or
suspected mental health issues, Black men are for numerous reasons often reluctant
to seek treatment.

Mental Health and the Black Community

Mental health issues are relatively common in the Black community at large.
According to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, African
Americans are 20 percent more likely to experience serious psychological distress,
such as major depressive disorder, than white Americans. Rates of major depressive
disorder in young Black adults ages 18 to 25 increased by more than 3 percent
between 2015 and 2018, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA), yet Black Americans of all age groups are less
likely to seek treatment than white Americans. Additionally, the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health reports that Black adults are
more likely than white adults to experience persistent symptoms of emotional
distress, such as sadness, hopelessness, and feeling that they have to dedicate
extra effort to everything they do.

While numerous factors have historically contributed to the Black community’s

greater incidence of mental health challenges, more recently the ongoing exposure
to discrimination and institutional racism alongside the pandemic has created
what Brian Smedley, PhD, the chief of psychology in the public interest at the
American Psychological Association, referred to in an interview with NBC News as a
“mental health tsunami” that could be worsened by a dearth of resources to help.

“The combination of physical distancing, economic anxiety, and — for people of color
— the very real stress from racism since the pandemic means that we will have a lot
of unmet mental health needs unless we can dramatically shore up the mental health
infrastructure and address workforce shortages,” he said.

Scarcity of Resources and Mistrust Are

Barriers to Care
Lack of access to culturally responsive and appropriate mental health care, along
with documented racism and bias within the healthcare system, have made some
people in the Black community less likely to seek treatment. According
to research and Dr. Neal-Barnett, there is a collective mistrust of healthcare and
medical providers because of abuse Black patients have historically experienced
under the guise of medical testing and advancement, such as in the U.S. Public
Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee.

Lack of access to services is another factor that prevents adequate mental health
care, according to the NAMI: Resources can be difficult to obtain when people don’t
have health insurance, have demanding shift jobs, live in locations with few services,
or don't have reliable transportation. Stigma and misinformation about mental illness
can also deter people from seeking treatment.
How Black Masculinity Norms Affect the
Mental Health of Black Men
Adding to these factors for Black men specifically are traditional masculinity roles
and ideas across racial and ethnic backgrounds that have caused men to struggle
with being vulnerable and sharing their emotions — making them even more
reluctant to seek help. A growing body of research and commentary looks
specifically at how Black masculinity norms and presumptions affect mental health
among Black men.

In her book We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity, the social and cultural critic
bell hooks examined the impact on Black men of social expectations that they'll
behave in ways associated with Black masculinity, and described how the
expectation to follow a specific set of behaviors creates a toxic environment: Viewed
inside a stereotype, Black men can become dehumanized and invisible, and their
psychological and emotional health suffers. In addition, the lack of love and
acceptance that many of them face can create a separate emotional crisis.

Researchers who examine how Black masculinity and norms affect help-seeking
behavior among Black men have found negative outcomes. In a study of Black men
who were experiencing mental health challenges published in the July–September
2016 issue of Behavioral Medicine, notions about Black masculinity both
exacerbated psychological and emotional challenges such as depression, anxiety,
and PTSD and prevented the men from seeking help to address those challenges.

Traditional media portrayals of Black men haven’t helped. As a study published in

2019 in the journal Psychology of Men & Masculinities explains, we have been
inundated with images in film, television, and social media that depict Black men as
overly masculine and, in some cases, aggressive and hypersexual. Open displays of
emotion, on the other hand, are often frowned upon and not socially acceptable,
sending a clear message to some Black men that to be accepted, they must fit a
particular gender role in which strength and stoicism are mandatory.

Neal-Barnett explains that Black men experience unique challenges that other men
don’t face because of the attention placed on their looks and bodies — and rarely on
their mental or emotional intelligence. “In many spaces, Black men are expected to
be strong and resilient physically. They are encouraged to do well in athletics and to
engage and thrive in physical activities, but not in activities that promote learning or
emotional or mental growth,” she says.

The foundation of this Black masculinity construct is laid early, with many Black men
growing up believing their psychological and emotional health and wellness do not
have an inherent or productive value to other members of the Black community or to
society as a whole. Many Black men internalize the idea that their value lies in what
they can contribute physically, such as through sports or performing physical labor,
and that discussing or exploring psychological or emotional concerns is in direct
contradiction to societal expectations.
Self-examination may be seen as not only pointless, but a sign of weakness.
According to Neal-Barnett, in order for Black men to seek and receive help, they
must be willing to be vulnerable enough to admit that they need help and ask for it.
And asking for help requires some Black men to deviate from expectations that
require them to be tough — which itself can create significant inner tension and
conflict. Given the numerous negative impacts of Black masculinity, experts like
Neal-Barnett wish the construct could be done away with entirely.

More Black Men Are Exposing

Vulnerabilities, Creating Space for Dialogue
and Change
Despite these norms and the frequent inner struggle over vulnerability, more and
more Black men are sharing their challenges with mental health. In 2016, the rapper
Kid Cudi openly talked about his depression on social media, as reported by The
Good Men Project, after which the hashtag #YouGoodMan quickly began to trend on
Twitter to encourage Black men to share more about mental health issues.

In 2018, the music mogul Jay-Z added to the conversation in an interview with Van
Jones on CNN in which he discussed his own experience with therapy and “the
ridiculousness of the stigma” attached to mental health issues; he openly advocated
for therapy in schools.

More recently, in an interview with Forbes about his involvement with

Okayplayer’s PASSAGE: The Practice of Healing, a new wellness initiative for
people of color, the hip-hop artist Big K.R.I.T. talked about mental health and
encouraged the Black community to seek counseling services when needed.

Members of the music industry are not alone in their efforts to increase awareness
among Black men about mental health; TV portrayals are also shifting. In a 2020
episode of FX's Dave, GaTa — who plays a version of his real self on the show as
hype man to Lil Dicky (Dave Burd) — reveals that he has been diagnosed
with bipolar disorder. The episode was well received by fans, and GaTa later openly
shared his real-life experiences with the diagnosis. And in season four of
HBO’s Insecure, Issa’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Nathan confides in her that he,
too, has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder — an issue that’s also part of the plot
in season five.

5 Helpful Tips for Black Men Seeking Mental

Health Care
Although some progress has been made toward destigmatizing mental health issues
among Black men, more must be done. For Black men who find themselves
conflicted about whether to seek a professional counselor and are wondering if it’s
right for them, here are five things that Neal-Barnett and Barbara Shabazz, PsyD, a
psychologist in Virginia Beach, Virginia, suggest for Black men consider.

1. You have nothing to prove. Dr. Shabazz stresses that Black men who are
experiencing psychological and emotional health challenges have nothing to
prove to anyone but themselves. Of course, there are obligations to loved
ones that must be fulfilled, but prioritizing mental and physical wellness so
that you can be more present for those who love and depend on you is
essential.
2. Treatment, in all its forms, is entirely confidential. All counselors are
ethically bound to maintain the confidentiality of their clients and are subject to
losing licensure if they fail to do so. Neal-Barnett encourages Black men to
not worry about those skeletons; they are safe with your therapist
and psychiatrist.
3. You can pick your mental health professional. Sitting down and sharing
your deepest and darkest secrets can be difficult for anyone, regardless of
biological sex or racial or ethnic background. But one of the great things about
seeking services is that, in most cases, you can select the professional with
whom you feel most comfortable.
4. There is no shame in seeking treatment. You have probably heard this a
million times, but it’s true. Neal-Barnett says sometimes the most courageous
gesture we can make is to ask for help.
5. Counseling, therapy, and psychiatric treatment are not for “crazy”
people. This is a stereotype that needs to be retired once and for all. Shabazz
emphasizes that counseling is for anyone who wants to speak with a
nonbiased and objective professional in a confidential environment.