This morning I got to thinking about the mental health crisis in the Black community, or maybe I should simply say the perception of mental disease within the Black community. This seems to be one of our most taboo topics...right up there with homosexuality and corrupt preachers. I mean, when was the last time that your mother, brother, sister, cousin, friend told you that they were heading out to their weekly therapy session? That has never been 'for us', right?

The thought process has always gone something like this..."We don't get depressed/bi-polar/OCD/etc. We sisters have been working hard (sometimes 2 and 3 jobs at a time) to provide for our families and make ends meet. We brothers have been hustling and suffering one indignity after another in order to put food on the table. This is what we do. We don't whine or cry about our situations. We are strong, and we survive." Right?

Well have we really been surviving, or have we just been ignoring rather than treating the symptoms of our suffering...alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, on-going sadness... If you think about it, there are many vices that we have come to accept and live with, but have never delved further into their root cause. Perhaps some of these burdens that we bear are rooted in the stifling rather than treatment of our personal demons.

While reading this article, I was struck by the role of the Church in all of this. This is something that I have questioned on my own, so it really stood out to me. As a 'good Christian' I believe that God can heal and deliver us from anything. Yet where is the barrier btwn something that is a normal human reaction/feeling and the 'Enemy trying to steal your joy/faith/hope'. I don't think that it is truly uncommon to hear the pastor say feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anger, and hurt are the tools of the devil. If that's what you're taught to believe, then how could you ever think to pursue help from the medical profession? No, you would simply pray harder and wait for deliverance. Anybody ever seen the Exorcism of Emily Rose?

In the end...I really believe that it comes down to a balance between the two worlds (medical and religious). Yes, I believe that ministers should counsel and pray for their congregation. However, I also believe that they should encourage individuals to seek professional help when/if their symptoms do not change. There is so much shame associated with seeking 'professional help', as if one is weak or faithless. As long as we keep re-enforcing these beliefs, then our community will continue to be disproportionately affected by mental disease.

Here is a panel discussion on this issue, to which I confess that I have not yet been able to listen. However, it seems to have some quality speakers, so I'm going to link it for future reference.

Part 1
Part 2