So many times, we hear that mental illness is “white people problems” or “made up”. That we need to “just get over it” or that we’ll “be alright”. But, I’m here to tell you, that they’re not “white people problems” and they’re not “made up”, nor should we be forced to “just get over it” or be told that we’ll “be alright”, that is not how you handle mental illness. Black people make up 13% of the population, yet are the community with the highest rate of mental illness. Though it is comforting to know that African Americans are 20% more likely to report cases of serious psychological distress, Black or African American teenagers are more likely to attempt a suicide in comparison to white teenagers. So what is it that is plaguing the community?
One of the major factors that contributes to the mental instability within the African American community, is socioeconomic class. Impoverished and/or low income African Americans are more likely to suffer from some sort of mental illness, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, please be aware that when I say “socioeconomic class” it is merely an umbrella term, because there are so many things that play into one’s socioeconomic status. As much as people hate to talk about it, slavery has a lot to do with socioeconomic status. Let me tell you why. As a result of slavery there became exclusion from education (think Little Rock Nine), health, social, and economic (think homelessness) discrepancies, which has ultimately manifested into the disparities that African Americans face today. Not to mention, the prison pipeline, which, if we are not careful, will swallow our men whole (60% of those imprisoned, are people of color, and among those, black men/women make up 37% which is just over half of that population).
Other factors contributing to the mental instability within the African American community is the stigma surrounding mental health and/or receiving treatment, and whether or not psychologists are capable of counseling African Americans. Less than 2% of professional psychologists are black, which means that has raised concerns of whether the rest of psychologists are even culturally competent to treat African American patients. Aside from the lack of African American psychologists, there’s a “sweep it under the rug” culture within the community, which does no one justice. Most people are afraid of being considered crazy, so they go without saying anything until the worst occurs. And don’t think that just because someone doesn’t look depressed or anxious, that they aren’t. High functioning depression is real y’all, oh, and mental illness doesn’t have a look, contrary to popular belief.
Also, can we stop pretending like the only way to “fix” an issue is to pray about it? Not to say that prayer is bad, because prayer does have the power to change a situation, but sometimes, you need to do a little more than pray about it. Sometimes you need to get real, professional help. I understand that within the African American community, our community, spirituality is a big thing, but we cannot pretend that ignoring our mental health and just, kind of, hoping that it goes away will fix everything.
Mental illness is not a white people problem, and it is not something that should be taken lightly, and if nobody has told you today, TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. We get so wrapped up in fighting for the cause, that we forget that we are the cause. We are the black lives that matter, but don’t forget that black mental health matters too.
