Mental Health in the Black Community

“What happens in this house stays in this house! Black people don’t see shrinks! There is nothing wrong with you! They will call you crazy!” If you were raised in a black household, chances are you have encountered one or more of these phrases in your lifetime. As I write this, I reflect on a story of a young girl who was raped and molested in her youth and was referred to outside counseling by her school, but when the counselor began to suggest she may need an anti-depressant, her mother withdrew from their services. “They will classify you,” the young girl recounts her mother saying as reason why she wouldn’t allow her to get on those medications and further didn’t wish for her to see this counselor any longer. She regards that time as a time of extreme hopelessness and pain that she thought she could never heal from. Like this young girl, many are suffering in silence because the people around them don’t understand the importance of speaking out against those things that can cause a mental breakdown. It’s Okay to Not be Okay Thinking about movies and their depiction of Blacks, many show fathers in roles where they express to their children the importance of never showing signs of weakness, always keeping their heads up, looking a man in the eyes, etc. While these are positive and encouraging, they are also very damaging. If Blacks don’t begin to allow ourselves to grieve or have pain and the natural emotions that we experience through everyday life and circumstances, we will continue to suffer in silence. Many of us have forgotten what it feels like to have, as well as experience real emotions because we have gone through life wearing a mask. We smile on the exterior while simultaneously breaking down on the inside because we weren’t equipped properly to handle our emotions. In many cases, there is also the barrier to finding someone to talk to when most Blacks that are experiencing some form of mental illness or mental breakdown do not have adequate income to afford to see a psychologist. Some don’t have the insurance and the number of psychologist available to us that can share and relate to our struggles is small. There is a shortage of Black psychologist which often leaves Blacks feeling like the person would never understand their struggle. We are taught that letting people see us hurt or showing weakness gives people an edge over us, so many times, when we are feeling things, we often suffer alone for fear that our emotional state will be used against us. But its okay, to not be okay! Depression and anxiety hit the Black community just like it hits other communities. Black people suffer just like other people suffer. The difference is, we are taught that we have to suffer alone. But we don’t! Change the Narrative We can begin the healing process of mental illness when we begin to acknowledge our pain and suffering. Inequalities, lower wages and pay gaps are all things that equate to our depression and other mental illnesses that plague our communities. When we begin to express our true emotions surrounding these situations that others show lack of empathy and concern for, when can begin the process of moving towards true healing. It is not a process that can happen overnight. It’s okay to show weakness from time to time. We gain strength in our weakness. We gain clarity when we are able to vocalize our emotions. When we give the pain a voice, we control the narrative and it no longer controls us. Let’s not raise another generation of broken, misunderstood, Blacks. But instead, let’s encourage our youth to speak about things that are bothering them. To speak about problems, they are facing in their minds as well as letting them know that there are safe places that they can go to in order to express their emotions in a healthy way. The healing begins, when we stop allowing our suffering to stifle us. Write down your feelings. Read them out loud to a trusted friend or read them to your psychologist. Crush the stigma that seeing a shrink is not a “Black Thing”. Change your narrative so that we can change the trajectory of future generations of Blacks.