“Some Thoughts about Black History Month”

 by Makia Maishna Newman from the Stomp Newsletter www.cnsantistigmaprogram.org

For me, the month of February always brings with it many thoughts and emotions, some easy to explain, others not.
I am an African-American woman, born in the 50s, raised through all of the social upheavals of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Now we here are in the 21st Century and it seems strange that we’re still having some of the same conversations about race now that we had during those “difficult” days back then.

Why is race such a “hot button” topic in this county? After all, we have an African-American president, (something I thought I would never see in my lifetime) for the first time in history. In so many ways, African Americans are progressing in every arena of life, and enjoying greater freedoms that we as a people ever have before. In the minds of many people, African-Americans have overcome; there is no need for any further discussions, there isn’t any need for “Black History Month”, etc., or is there?

I attend Leadership Oakland XXI, a monthly series of leadership training classes that has been a joy to be a part of. I’ve been challenged, stretched, and enlightened to what it takes to be a person called to leadership during these difficult times in our county, state and country.

We cover various topics every month; government, human services, media, just to name a few. January’s class topic was “Diversity and Inclusion”. It was a very difficult topic to discuss, but I felt it was presented in a very honest, caring, and sensitive way by Chris Scharrer, the Executive Director for the Leadership Oakland program and the various speakers we heard from throughout the day.

One of our activities included watching a video called, “Race, the Power of Illusion” a documentary done by California Newsreel that took an in depth look at some of the reasons the United States still grapples with the problems of discrimination, and inequitable treatment of people of color in this country. It was heartbreaking, informational, and very emotional for me to watch. There were things discussed in this video that I had never heard before. I cried then and I cried for two days after I saw it.

There were so many things that I didn’t know about race relations in this country. I didn’t know that a brick wall was constructed on 8 mile road, to divide the city of Detroit from the surrounding cities and townships to make it possible for those cities that happened to be too close to the border of Detroit could still receive good credit ratings and be able to get access to loans and other financial considerations that people living in the inner cities were systematically denied.
I didn’t know that the suburbs were created to give better housing opportunities to the veterans that returned home from WWII needing housing that was very difficult to find in those days, and that the African American soldiers were systematically denied equal access to better housing, by our government, and the practices weren’t outlawed until President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act in 1965.

There was a lot of information given that day and the jumbled feelings and sadness I had when I left my class have lingered with me even though it’s been a month since we had this session.

Why do I write about this in a newsletter that’s dedicated to mental health issues? What’s “race” got to do with anything anyway?

It has a lot to do with it. In 1999, Dr. David Satcher, wrote Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, that gave an in-depth analysis of the state of the mental health system in this country. In 2003, he wrote a supplement to the original document, Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity, where he determined that “Culture Counts” and that “many aspects of mental illness are influenced by race and ethnicity.”

He also determined that minority populations:
Have less access to mental health services
Receive poorer quality of services
And are under-represented in mental health research
Minorities also have greater exposure to racism, discrimination violence, and poverty, all of which adversely affect mental health.
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/cre/execsummary-3.html

This is why we must to get beyond our personal discomfort with discussions about race in this county, people’s lives are at stake, literally!

In spite of all of this, I still have faith and I have to believe that there will come a time in our country that we all will overcome, that everyone, no matter what their ethnicity, race, etc., will be judged by our character and not the color of our skin like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said so many years ago. I have to believe that future generations will be able to walk together in peace and unity just to have the strength to go on. I have seen kindness and compassion in the eyes of other people of varying backgrounds, when I myself have had experiences that have left me shaken to my core. I have seen people take the high road in their response to racism or discrimination that was blatant, and that is enough to help me not to sink into the despair that sometimes tries to pull me under the clouds of darkness and feeling of heaviness that so often accompany these types of situations.

I too have a dream and I believe that one day I will see it come to pass. I will see my children, grandchildren, and others that I care about so deeply will have the opportunity to live, work, and play in that better place, free from fear, hatred, ignorance, intolerance, and the like. I choose to believe and live free.”

African-Americans Likely to Delay MH Treatment

At the age of 12, former NBA player Thabiti Boone witnessed his severely depressed mother attempt suicide when she jumped from a six-story building and landed at his feet.

“When she was jumping off the roof, I took in all of the depression that caused her to jump,” says Boone, describing the incident in a public service video sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. He said that although he felt as if everyone was waiting for him to “break down” mentally, no one sat down and talked with him about how he was feeling.

Too often, Boone’s experience is echoed in the African American community when it comes to talking about mental health. Mental illness is brushed under the carpet, ignored, or stigmatized. But a new campaign by SAMHSA is designed to raise awareness of mental health problems among young adults in the African American community hopes to get more people talking about the issue -- and ultimately getting the help they need.
The ads will encourage and educate young adults to step up and talk openly about mental health problems, and that they are not alone in their struggle. The television, radio, print, and Web ads feature real personal stories of African Americans dealing with mental health problems, and they aim to engage those in the community to support young adults who need help.

While 58.7% of Americans with serious mental illness received care in 2008, only 44.8% of mentally ill blacks received services, according to SAMHSA's 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The prevalence of serious mental illness is highest among those age 18 to 25, but according to SAMHSA, those people are the least likely to receive services or counseling.

“African Americans are more likely to delay seeking treatment until their symptoms are more severe and are more likely to discontinue or stop treatment once it is started,” says Paolo Del Vecchio, associate director for SAMSHA’s office of Consumer Affairs, which offers resources and programs to address mental health.

There are a variety of mental health disorders ranging from depression and anxiety problems to phobias and more serious issues such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, says Annelle Primm, director of minority and national affairs at the American Psychiatric Association.

Symptoms of mental instability can include changes in mood, sleep activity, energy level, or appetite; an inability to remember, concentrate, or think; and delusions or hallucinations. But Primm says that having just one of those symptoms in a fleeting sort of way, doesn’t mean that someone has a mental illness. But when the symptoms are grouped together over a long period a time a person should seek help.

Although a lack of health insurance is one of many reasons mental health care is not sought in the black community, many neglect treatment because the stigma associated with it can cause shame and embarrassment. Also, the belief by some religions that mental health problems can be cured through prayer and faith is another reason why some people do not admit they aren’t well or seek professional help, says Del Vecchio.

So instead of getting the help they need, many people suffering from mental illness self-medicate with alcohol and illegal drugs.

"The disparities that African Americans experience in accessing mental health care can be overcome through increased awareness and education,” said Kathryn A. Power, director of SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services. “Raising the African American community’s understanding and attention to these issues will provide greater opportunities for recovery from mental health problems.”

http://www.blackenterprise.com/2010/03/02/challenging-the-stigma-of-mental-illness/

Resources
-- The Stay Strong Foundation
-- National Alliance on Mental Health
-- The Black Mental Health Alliance
-- Mental Health America
-- Black Psychiatrists of America

Reprinted from STOMP Newsletter. www.cnsantistigmaprogram.org

Celebrate Black History Month by Respecting Cultural Competancy in Mental Health

This is an article by Mark Lamont Hill, Assoc. Professor at Columbia University.

"The Black Community Is In The Midst Of A Mental Health Crisis

There's A Relationship Between Freedom And Mental Health"

from TheLoop21 June 24, 2010

Mental health or lack thereof is at the root of a lot of society's ails.

http://theloop21.com/society/ron-artest-reshaping-the-conversation-black-mental-health