About 24 of every 100 people in Dallas County identify as Black alone, according to Census estimates. This guide covers what federal data show about mental illness and treatment for Black adults and youth, what research says about trust and culturally responsive care, and where the evidence stops. It is general education, not medical advice.
By the Exsura Team · October 25, 2026
NIMH says: “If you or someone you know is struggling or having thoughts of suicide, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org . In life-threatening situations, call 911.” The 988 Lifeline says: “The 988 Lifeline is for everyone.” It says it is available 24/7/365 and that conversations are free and confidential. We did not find a Black-specific 988 option on official pages. For help choosing between 988 and 911, see 988 vs 911: when to call which.
The Census Bureau’s QuickFacts lists Black alone as 23.6% of Dallas County (population estimate of 2,656,028 for July 1, 2024) and 13.7% of Texas (31,290,831). “Black alone” counts people who report only one race and includes Black people of any Hispanic origin. By contrast, the federal mental health tables below use non-Hispanic Black adults. The two are not the same group, so the figures should not be compared directly.
HHS Office of Minority Health, drawing on the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), reports:
of non-Hispanic Black adults received mental health treatment in the past year in 2024, compared with 22.9% of all U.S. adults.
An older NIMH page using 2022 survey data reports that among adults with any mental illness, 37.9% of non-Hispanic Black adults received treatment, compared with 50.6% of all adults with any mental illness. That is a different year and a different base (adults with a mental illness), so it should not be set beside the 2024 figures above.
Neither source states a cause for the differences.
OMH’s tables and NIMH’s use non-Hispanic Black groups, although the OMH headline sentences say Black/African American. HHS reports that in 2023, “Black/African American high school students were 8% more likely than students nationwide to report attempting suicide in the past year.” Its table shows 10.3% compared with 9.5%. The CDC’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey reports a decline: the percentage of Black students who attempted suicide went from 14% to 10% between 2021 and 2023. The CDC also reports that high school students who experienced racism had a higher prevalence of poor mental health, suicide risk and substance use, and that Black students were more likely than White and Hispanic students to report unfair discipline at school.
For adults, HHS reports that in 2022 Black/African Americans were 37% less likely to die by suicide than the U.S. population overall. NIMH’s tables for the 2024 survey show 5.5% of non-Hispanic Black adults reporting serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, the same as all adults, and 1.1% reporting an attempt compared with 0.8% of all adults. The NIMH page does not say whether that difference is statistically significant.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988. In life-threatening situations, call 911.
No official page we found reports Black-specific reasons for not getting treatment. The closest is SAMHSA’s 2024 national report, which covers all adults with a mental illness and a perceived unmet need for treatment. It found the most common reason was that they thought they should have been able to handle it on their own (71.0 percent), followed by thinking treatment would cost too much (65.2 percent). Other reasons included not knowing how or where to get treatment (49.2 percent), not being ready to start treatment (48.1 percent), not having enough time for treatment (47.9 percent), and not finding a treatment program or health care professional they wanted to go to (45.0 percent). SAMHSA says percentages for the additional reasons were not necessarily significantly different from one another, so their ranking should not be assumed, and people could give more than one reason. These are all-adult figures, not Black-specific ones.
Researchers have looked at Black communities specifically, with mixed and cautious results:
Many people look for a therapist who shares their background. A meta-analysis of racial and ethnic matching (Cabral and Smith, 2011) found across 52 studies a moderately strong average preference for a therapist of one’s own race or ethnicity, but across 53 studies of outcomes “almost no benefit to treatment outcomes from racial/ethnic matching of clients with therapists.” It also found the effects were highly variable, and that studies involving African American participants showed the highest effect sizes across preferences, perceptions and outcomes. So on average the research finds a preference for matching with almost no average benefit to outcomes, though effects varied widely.
For young people, a meta-analysis (published online in 2024 and in print in 2025) of psychotherapy for suicidal thoughts and behaviors among Black youth (Brown and colleagues) says culturally responsive evidence-based interventions are urgently needed, but found only 13 studies, only one intervention specifically focused on Black youth, and low-quality evidence. The authors report significant effects in reducing suicidal thoughts and behaviors between treatment groups (Hedges g = 1.08, 95% CI 0.07 to 2.09), but with low-quality evidence, significant heterogeneity, small sample sizes and inconsistencies in outcome measures. The included studies had populations that were more than 30% Black youth, not only Black youth.
You do not have to wait for the research to be settled. For how to find a provider and prepare for a first visit, see how to find a mental health provider. For lower-cost options, see low-cost mental health care in Dallas County and our free mental health resources in DFW. If it is hard to bring up with family, see talking to your family about mental health. We have not verified individual local providers, so we do not list any here.
HHS Office of Minority Health reports that in 2024, 14.7% of non-Hispanic Black adults received mental health treatment in the past year compared with 22.9% of all U.S. adults. The page also reports lower rates of reported mental illness (20.9% versus 23.4%) and does not state why the treatment gap exists.
A 2025 study of 1,043 Black adults found a nonlinear relationship: at low levels of mistrust, higher mistrust was associated with higher willingness to seek care, and at high levels with lower willingness. The authors call the low-level result counterintuitive and note it was a convenience sample, so it does not support a blanket statement.
A meta-analysis found a moderately strong average preference for a therapist of the same race or ethnicity but almost no average benefit to treatment outcomes from matching, with highly variable effects. Studies involving African American participants showed the highest effect sizes across preferences, perceptions and outcomes.
Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. In life-threatening situations, call 911.
Sources last checked October 25, 2026. This article is general education, not financial, legal or medical advice. Rules, fees and programs change, so confirm details with the organization before you act.
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