Mental Health Awareness In Our Culture: Dismissing The Stigma

How many times have you heard: “Therapy is for white people” or “Anybody who sees a psychiatrist is crazy”? Too many to count, and a heartbreaking reality that has been overtly under shadowed. How many of us are actually battling with a mental health disorder or disease? The answer probably expands far beyond the mystery behind it. 

In instances past, we were conditioned to believe that this is out of the “norm” for a person of color to seek help. Now it seems that attention to mental health amongst African Americans has finally started to take center stage.

The spotlight on a seemingly major problem currently is slowly but steadily becoming more mainstream. With racism and oppression rearing its ugly head continuously, along with countless other unescapable societal plagues, this literally and undoubtedly should be taking its toll on our mental stabilities.

Are we to keep being resilient and accepting this as a way of being present in the state that this world is in as it stands? Focusing on our mental health has been long overdue, and it’s time to normalize therapy as a means to help us cope better.

Well-known actress Taraji P. Henson has taken the initiative to create a foundation in honor of her late father, who unfortunately suffered from his own mental health issues. I commend her efforts in bringing awareness to our culture and to the masses.

I urge everyone to take care of your mental well-being in a healthy and beneficial way by talking to a professional, even if you don’t feel like you have anything underlying in your life that may need attention. It’s ok to not be ok, and you don’t have to be ashamed.

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