I just received an email yesterday about Randy Parker, who committed suicide at the age of 23. Condolences go out to his mother, father, and extended family. While I maintain that we are and have been a resilient people, able to deal with a lot more (because we’ve had to) than many other populations, African Americans are much more likely to experience some forms of mental illness than their white counterparts, and less likely to get treatment. Probably less likely to get effective treatment on top of that. Of course we know the reasons why–systemic racism increases stress, which in turn increases both the likelihood of suffering from mental illness and the severity of that illness. But knowing is only half the battle. We all know someone who needs help…in many cases that person can be found by looking in the mirror.The Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health and African Americans.