“When it hurts, it runs deep. When it runs deep, it becomes contagious. When it becomes contagious, it becomes dangerous. Let’s take the fear and danger out of asking for help.”
Yesterday we lost a great legion, Robin Williams. As I am sure most have heard, his death was the result of a suicide. It is reported that he suffered from depression and substance abuse; which he had been trying to stay clean and get the help he needed. Now you may ask what does this have to with black folks and their issues. My response everything…
As an African American young woman, I have seen and heard the affects of mental illness in our community. “Get out them white folks face talkin’ bout yo problems. They don’t care you!” and “We have enough thang going on in our lives without you hollering ’round here ’bout yo business!” and “We black, we ain’t got no head problems.” and “Suck that crap up, life moving on and you sitting here cryin’ bout split milk.” Now I have heard a few of these phrases and then some and the sad part is those who may have been seeking help, have never gotten or will never receive the care that they may need. Feeling as if they are weak and/or not a REAL black person if they seek counseling for their issues.
Mental health is very much real in our communities and in our lives. Not every one knows how to do a healthy purge of emotions. So as that parent, sibling, friend, lover, co-worker and/or community we have to make sure that we are hearing our loved ones out. Counseling may not be the solution to everything, maybe that person needs to know that they are genuinely loved and cared for by those that are in their life. And maybe counseling is just the thing that they may need. We will never know what our loved ones may be in need of, if we never listen and shut them out whenever they reach out.
So how does mental health become black folk problems? I am not saying that mental health is solely black folk problems, but what I am saying is, the denial of mental health issues in our community is great. The problem with being in denial about it becomes dangerous to the person and their environment. It becomes our problem because we are the ones tearing down those who suffer from any form of mental health or as a proxy in that person’s life we are giving them unrealistic answers to their very real issues.
There are black people right now struggling to cope with life, because their loved ones shutdown the idea of seeking professional help. Living a life where people feel that you are so out of control and they are now afraid you, but these are the same people who denied you the help you may have needed to be able to function in society. Our communities are filled with oxymoron’s and it needs to stop.
So let’s pray (if you are praying people), talk, laugh, sooth or whatever that person may need from you at the time. But it’s timeout for closing the doors on our loved ones. It’s time to close our mouths and open our ears to their needs. Let’s build them up and let them that they are surrounded by love and encourage them to see things through.
Until next time… Deuces
Good Ol Neech's Corner 