In today’s evolving mental health landscape, one concept remains deeply under-acknowledged: masking. Masking is the act of hiding or suppressing parts of oneself—emotions, traits, or identity—to fit into environments where authenticity feels unsafe. While this coping strategy may help people navigate daily life, for people of color (POC), it carries additional layers of complexity and risk.
The Double Burden of Masking
People of color mask not only to protect their mental health but also to survive systemic racism, bias, and cultural exclusion. They often feel compelled to code-switch—modifying their language, behavior, and appearance—to gain acceptance or safety in white-dominant spaces (Lewis et al., 2022). This is a form of psychological labor that, over time, results in emotional fatigue, identity suppression, and diminished well-being.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (2025), masking is used to feel safe and accepted but can worsen mental health over time, especially when driven by fear or stigma.
Stigma and Silence
External stigma and internalized self-stigma are major contributors to masking. Many POC experience shame in expressing their struggles due to cultural expectations or previous experiences with racism and mental health systems. Prizeman et al. (2023) found that this self-stigma leads to isolation and worsened depression. In addition, masking symptoms of neurodivergence—such as autism or ADHD—is especially common in racialized individuals, who may not even receive accurate diagnoses due to systemic bias in healthcare (McKinney et al., 2024).
Intersectional Realities
Masking does not happen in isolation. It intersects with gender, disability, sexuality, and socioeconomic status. LGBTQIA+2 individuals of color may feel doubly burdened to hide both racial and sexual identities. These intersecting pressures increase vulnerability to anxiety, substance use, and depression (Jedrzejewska & Dewey, 2022).
For example, Indigenous youth may suppress emotional expression to avoid being labeled “angry” or “disruptive,” while also hiding cultural traditions that are misunderstood or dismissed by dominant systems (National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health [NCCIH], 2019; Gone & Kirmayer, 2010).
Why It Matters in 2025
Mental health equity means more than just access—it means creating environments where authenticity is not punished. It requires confronting the harmful systems that teach people of color that survival depends on invisibility. When we ask people to unmask without safety or support, we risk retraumatizing them.
Instead, we must center culturally safe care, trauma-informed practices, and community-driven solutions. This is the only way we can truly support mental health for all Albertans.
A Call to Action
Unmasking isn’t just personal—it’s powerful.
People of color should not have to hide their true selves to feel safe. This Mental Health Week, let’s commit to creating spaces where diversity is not only welcomed but protected.
Speak up. Show up. Unmask the stigma.
If you’re a mental health professional, educator, policymaker, or community leader, start unmasking the systems—not the people. Normalize mental health discussions in racialized communities. Advocate for inclusive services. Invest in BIPOC-led healing spaces.
Let’s build a society where being your whole self is a right, not a risk.
Crystal Young B. A, M.Ed, ADHD-CCS
C.L. Whole You Foundation
References
- Canadian Mental Health Association. (2025). What is masking? Mental Health Week Factsheet. https://mentalhealthweek.ca
- Gone, J. P., & Kirmayer, L. J. (2010). On the wisdom of considering culture and context in psychopathology. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(3), 145–147. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4622632/
- Hull, L., Petrides, K., Allison, C., Smith, P., Baron-Cohen, S., Lai, M.-C., & Mandy, W. (2017). “Putting on My Best Normal”: Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(8), 2519–2534. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5
- Jedrzejewska, A., & Dewey, J. (2022). Camouflaging in autistic and non-autistic adolescents in the modern context of social media. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(2), 630–646. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-04953-6
- Lewis, J. A., Williams, M. G., Peppers, E. J., & Gadson, C. A. (2022). The paradox of code-switching: Psychological costs and coping strategies. American Psychologist, 77(3), 373–384. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000872
- McKinney, A., O’Brien, S., Maybin, J. A., Chan, S. W. Y., Richer, S., & Rhodes, S. (2024). Camouflaging in neurodivergent and neurotypical girls at the transition to adolescence and its relationship to mental health. JCPP Advances, 4(4), e12294. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.12294
- National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health. (2019). Racism as a social determinant of Indigenous health. https://www.nccih.ca/docs/determinants/FS-Racism2-Racism-Impacts-EN.pdf
- Prizeman, K., Weinstein, N., & McCabe, C. (2023). Effects of mental health stigma on loneliness, social isolation, and relationships in young people with depression symptoms. BMC Psychiatry, 23, 527. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04991-7
