May is Mental Health awareness month in America; but i wanted this post to focus on Mental Health awareness in the Black communities. There are several things that are taboo in our communities like sex and abortion, but mental illness is amongst the list as well. I think that it is very interesting that the things that affect are communities the most are the things that we don't discuss. We see people roaming the streets on a daily basis in our communities who are either talking to themselves, harming themselves or worse harming others. We automatically write them off as "crazy". These people aren't crazy! They have mental health issues and rather than seeking professional medical help, they self medicate.
Depression is one of the top mental health disorders that is seen within the Black community. Yet it is also most commonly overlooked. We need to bring more awareness to our communities about this issue. I understand that their are barriers like fear, embarrassment, lack of insurance, denial or access to mental health facilities; and while access is often a barrier that seems to be out of our control awareness and assistance is definitely something that we CAN control. Let's stop shaming and start educating ourselves and our communities about Mental Health Disorders in the Black community.
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