Mental health and African Americans

by | Jul 11, 2007 | Gender and Politics, Public Health, Public Policy | 6 comments

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.

6 Comments

  1. tootsie
    tootsie on July 12, 2007 at 8:06 am

    Doc historically Blacks have been nutured by the extended family concept, we must reconnect with this, especially a relationship between the elders and the young.This is not a cure all but often life repeats itself .

  2. cnulan
    cnulan on July 12, 2007 at 11:04 am

    I second tootsie.

    The intergenerational connections are indispensable across various axis of communal health and vitality.

  3. invisiblewoman
    invisiblewoman on July 12, 2007 at 11:02 pm

    I have talks about this with one of my girlfriends sometimes. Our community tends to say “oh you know so and so, he’s just crazy” or “that way”, or we pretend not to notice at all. I think this generation coming up now is the first to look beyond the surface, because they are really the first not to make their lives straight survival first….they have parents who have made it to some degree. IMO

  4. Lester Spence
    Lester Spence on July 13, 2007 at 12:41 am

    Maybe. But–and this may be related–it could also be that this is the first generation of black people who’ve had to deal with this SPECIFIC consequence of mental illness.

  5. tan
    tan on July 17, 2007 at 3:19 pm

    it is so ironic that you had this blog posted. i just had this conversation with a friend the other day. just in the past month i discovered that three of my friends struggle with some form of mental despair. i was hopeful b/c the conversation i had with one was frank and candid. she actually jokes about her panic attacks & depression. the reason she can laugh is b/c she sought help & got it.

    we tend to overlook mental illness. i know you have said or even heard… “awww you know aunt janie is crazy. we just ignore her.” we make light of it. you touched on something that i know tends to keep us from seeking help. yes we are a resilient people. we carry and have carried much on our backs. the more you put on someone’s back the heavier that load gets. at some point it will cripple you. one can’t carry everything. mental disorders are obviously health related…genetics. however, i think w/in our community we can add that underlying factor of stress. identifying it, admitting it, and getting treatment are things we just don’t know how to do. why? b/c it is never really addressed. so like many other things, until we put it out there, it will be just swept under the rug.