“Those are white people’s problems.”
“Get up and get yourself together. What are you sad for? This is not what we do.”
“There is nothing wrong with you. Pray about it.”
In the black community, the way we handle, and approach mental health issues is destructive. It is not always taken seriously, until it is too late.
Black people do not go to therapy and the thought doing so is so far-fetch. We look over depression like it is nothing. They tell you, you will get over it, it is only a phase. As an attempt to feel like they have helped, they will end it with telling you to pray about it.
Although I am a person of faith, sometimes prayer is not enough. Depression is not just some demon you can easily cast out. Depression is not the same as just being sad. Depression is feeling you are trapped with no way out. It is a disorder and a serious attack on the mind. It can change you. The lack of support from those around you, especially those who look like you, makes the feeling worse.
It is not easy for everyone to go to their parents about problems regarding mental health. Some people are not blessed with that privilege. Sometimes, parents might not understand and is not completely their fault either. The root of mental health being the way it is in the black community is generational, but it can stop with you. Attitudes toward the topic can change, and they must.
Toxic attitudes towards mental health has led to the death of too many black people: men, women and children. The most damaging thing you can do is call someone struggling with a mental illness crazy only because you do not understand it. People fighting to maintain a healthy mental are not crazy. The stigma of mental health surrounding the black community prohibits us of being aware of how it can truly affect someone.
Mental health is not an easy topic of discussion, nor is it acknowledged as much as it should be. It is okay to cry, and it is okay to feel lost. It is completely normal, no matter what people may tell you. Your mental health is important. If you try to talk to someone about the state of your mental health and they do not take it seriously, tell someone else. If the second person still does not get you, tell someone else. There is someone willing to listen and be there for you and I pray God sends the right people your way.
Pray with people, but also help them to seek additional outside help to go along with the prayers. When people are going through it, your prayer will mean nothing on its own. They need more than a prayer. They need you to care.
Black people, we must be more mindful of the way we treat our people. We are killing our people off by not opening our minds and hearts to understand mental health. Do your research so that you can help those around you. There is a limited number of African Americans who are approachable on the topic – add yourself to the group. Be that one person someone can run to. We cannot keep brushing it off. It is not a “white person’s problem”, it is a human problem.