BEAM is creating a new kind of guide for Black families navigating psychiatric care.

The Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective recently released What I Wish My People Had Known – The Psychiatric Green Book: A Guide for Black Folks, a first-of-its-kind resource designed to help Black families better understand psychiatric systems before a crisis occurs, according to BEAM.

Inspired by Victor Hugo Green’s historic Negro Motorist Green Book, the guide was created to offer practical tools, historical context, and advocacy resources for families and communities navigating psychiatric care.

According to information shared with BOTWC, the guide covers topics including involuntary psychiatric hospitalization, patients’ rights, psychiatric advance directives, crisis planning, legal rights, caregiver advocacy, and care strategies. The resource was developed in collaboration with psychiatric survivors, clinicians, legal advocates, caregivers, families, and organizations including Disability Rights California, the Georgia Advocacy Office, and Depressed While Black.

The guide comes as research continues to show racial disparities in psychiatric care. According to BEAM, Black patients have 57% higher odds of being involuntarily admitted, while many families still have little access to practical information before they are forced to make life-changing decisions.

“Too often, Black families are forced to make life-changing decisions during psychiatric crises without the information they need,” said BEAM founder and executive director Yolo Akili Robinson. “We created The Psychiatric Green Book so our communities can prepare before a crisis happens while being able to understand their rights and advocate for themselves and their loved ones with greater confidence and care.”

Robinson conceived and wrote the guide alongside mental health advocate and author Kelechi Ubozoh, drawing from their lived experiences and years of supporting families through psychiatric crises. Robinson and Ubozoh have also previously discussed community support, psychiatric holds, and survivor-centered care through Disability Rights California.

“The goal isn’t simply to help families respond during a crisis but to equip them with knowledge beforehand, so they’re empowered to ask questions, make informed decisions and advocate for the care they deserve,” said Ubozoh.

The first edition focuses on California and Georgia, since psychiatric laws vary widely by state. BEAM plans to release additional state-specific editions as more resources become available.

Family checklists from The Psychiatric Green Book will be available for free on BEAM’s website. The full digital guide will be offered through a pay-what-you-can model, with paperback editions available for $15.

For BEAM, the guide is rooted in collective care, giving Black families more language, more tools, and more power before moments of crisis happen.