What is Mental and Behavioral Health?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Behavioral health has more to do with the specific actions people take. It is about how people respond in various scenarios. Behavioral health can be influenced by an individual’s mental health.
How Does Mental and Behavioral Health Affect African American Populations?
- In 2020, suicide was the third leading cause of death, respectively, for blacks or African Americans, ages 15 to 24.1
- The death rate from suicide for black or African American men was four times greater than for African American women, in 2018.
- The overall suicide rate for black or African Americans was 60 percent lower than that of the non-Hispanic white population, in 2018.
- Black females, grades 9-12, were 60 percent more likely to attempt suicide in 2019, as compared to non-Hispanic white females of the same age.
- Poverty level affects mental health status. Black or African Americans living below the poverty level, as compared to those over twice the poverty level, are twice as likely to report serious psychological distress.
- A report from the U.S. Surgeon General found that from 1980 - 1995, the suicide rate among African Americans ages 10 to 14 increased 233 percentage, as compared to 120 percent of non-Hispanic whites.2
Mental Health Status
Serious psychological distress in the past year among adults 18 years of age and over, percentage, 2019
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 11.9 | 12.7 | 0.9 |
Source: SAMHSA, 2022. Results from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables. Table 10.43B
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2019-nsduh-detailed-tables [PDF | 10.22MB]
Serious psychological distress in the past 30 days among adults 18 years of age and over, percentage of poverty level, 2015-2016*
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Below 100% | 7.6 | 12.1 | 0.6 |
| 100% - less than 200% | 3.9 | 7.6 | 0.5 |
| 200% - less than 400% | 2.8 | 3.1 | 0.9 |
Source: CDC, 2021. Health United States, 2019. Table 46.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus17.pdf [PDF | 10.22MB]
Percentage of population with feelings of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, or that everything is an effort, all or most of the time, among persons 18 years of age and over, 2018
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Sadness | 4.2 | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Hopelessness | 1.8 | 2.2 | 0.8 |
| Worthlessness | 1.8 | 2.3 | 0.7 |
| Everything is an effort | 11.0 | 6.6 | 1.7 |
Source: CDC 2021. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2018. Table A-7.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/shs/tables.htm
Percentage of population with serious psychological distress among persons 18 years of age and over, 2018
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Men | 2.5 | 2.8 | 0.9 |
| Women | 4.7 | 4.8 | 1.0 |
| Total | 3.7 | 3.8 | 1.0 |
Source: CDC 2021. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2018. Table A-8.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/shs/tables.htm
Death Rates
Age-adjusted death rates for suicide, by sex, race, and Hispanic origin, 2019
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black /Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Male | 12.7 | 28.0 | 0.5 |
| Female | 2.9 | 7.7 | 0.4 |
| Total | 7.5 | 17.7 | 0.4 |
Source: CDC 2021. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 70, No. 8. Table 10.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-08-508.pdf
Death rates for suicide, age, race, and Hispanic origin, 2018: Men
| Non-Hispanic Black Men | Non-Hispanic White Men | Non-Hispanic Black Men / Non-Hispanic White Men Ratio | |
| 15-24 years | 17.3 | 27.3 | 0.6 |
| 25-44 years | 19.5 | 35.8 | 0.5 |
| 45-64 years | 11.6 | 39.5 | 0.3 |
| 65 years and over | 8.9 | 38.2 | 0.2 |
| All ages | 12.2 | 28.6 | 0.4 |
Source: CDC, 2022. Health United States, 2019. Table 9.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2019/009-508.pdf [PDF | 10.22MB]
Death rates for suicide, age, race, and Hispanic origin, 2018: Women
| Non-Hispanic Black Women | Non-Hispanic White Women | Non-Hispanic Black Women / Non-Hispanic White Women Ratio | |
| 15-24 years | 4.2 | 6.7 | 0.6 |
| 25-44 years | 4.5 | 10.4 | 0.4 |
| 45-64 years | 3.1 | 13.0 | 0.2 |
| 65 years and over | 1.3 | 6.3 | 0.4 |
| All ages | 2.9 | 8.0 | 0.4 |
Source: CDC, 2021. Health United States, 2019. Table 9.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2019/009-508.pdf [PDF | 10.22MB]
Adolescents
Death rates for suicide: ages 15 - 19, 2020
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Male | 12.4 | 18.2 | 0.7 |
| Female | 4.7 | 5.1 | 0.9 |
| Total | 8.6 | 11.8 | 0.7 |
Source: CDC, 2022. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html [Accessed 11/18/2022]
Suicidal ideation among students in grades 9–12, 2019 Percentage of students who seriously considered suicide
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Men | 10.7 | 13.8 | 0.8 |
| Women | 23.7 | 24.3 | 1.0 |
| Total | 16.9 | 19.1 | 0.9 |
Source: CDC 2022. High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. https://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline [Accessed 11/21/2022]
Suicidal ideation among students in grades 9–12, 2019 Percentage of students who attempted suicide
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio | |
| Men | 8.5 | 6.4 | 1.3 |
| Women | 15.2 | 9.4 | 1.6 |
| Total | 11.8 | 7.9 | 1.5 |
Source: CDC 2022. High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. https://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline. [Accessed 11/21/2022]
Access to Health Care
Percentage of adults age 18 and over who received mental health services* in the past year, 2020
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 37.1 | 51.8 | 0.6 |
*For any mental illness
SAMHSA, 2022. Results from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables. Table 8.17B (REVISED) https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2020-nsduh-detailed-tables
Percentage of adults age 18 and over who received prescription medications for mental health services*, 2020
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 27.5 | 44.5 | 0.4 |
*Prescription for any mental illness
SAMHSA, 2022. Results from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables. Table 8.21B
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2020-nsduh-detailed-tables
Percentage of adults age 18 and over with past year major depressive episode who received treatment for the depression, 2019
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 59.6 | 70.2 | 0.8 |
SAMHSA, 2022. Results from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables. Table 8.39B
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2019-nsduh-detailed-tables
1 CDC. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). [Accessed 11/21/2022]. http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html
2 U.S. Surgeon General, 2001. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44251
Last Edited: 09/22/2023