¡Hola, Pimpjuice! Welcome to another round of Mental Health Monday, your weekly dose of stories, resources, and motivation for your everyday life. On last week's party, we had some goodness about Reggie Osse's podcast on Chris Lighty, a veteran who battled depression after serving in Iraq, some advice from Nikki Lynette on how to get it together when life gets really real, a high school's decision to focus on mental health, and more. Check it out.
The Weekly Feelgood: All 192 members of New Edition (the group and the BET movie cast) performing together at the 2017 BET Awards. And here it is. And here's the rehearsal. Shoutout to choreographers Leon Lee and Brook Payne.
THIS WEEK'S GOODNESS:
"Drugs alone won't cure the epidemic of depression. We need strategy" by Mark Rice-Oxley [The Guardian]
I can’t help but think that this new depression epidemic is partly down to inflated expectations, to untrammelled individualism and the culture of winner takes all. The pressure to “succeed”, the urgency to validate our short lives with obvious and unambiguous “achievement”: show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser, they say. No, how about show me a winner and I’ll show you someone on the verge of cracking up.
Rapper Vic Mensa talked to BET about social media, cyberbullying, and erasing harmful stigmas around mental health among Black folks.
"This Powerful Campaign Is Dedicated To Silencing The Shame Of Mental Health In The Black Community" by Mariya Mosely [Essence]
Two-decade-old hip-hop veteran, Shanti Das, is working to change that with her new campaign, Silence The Shame. After struggling with her personal battle with depression and anxiety, she’s working to tackle to stigmas around discussing mental health in the Black community.
"The Little Understood Mental-Health Effects of Racial Trauma" by Rochaun Meadows-Fernandez [Science of Us]
Due to cultural stigma and barriers to care like insurance and jobs that provide time off work, black Americans are substantially less likely to receive mental-health treatment that other ethnic groups. This is particularly problematic because black Americans are 20 percent more likely to suffer from mental illness, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. For those who suffer from mental illness, the recycling of brutality and violence on the news may worsen symptoms.
"What Happened When My 9-Year-Old Asked Me About My Self-Harm Scars" by Shawna Slater [The Mighty]
He asked me, “Mom, what are those white marks all over your leg from? Did you get hurt?” I figured I could handle this one of two ways. I could either lie to him (and him call me out on it) or I could be honest and try or explain this to him at a level that he would understand.
"5 mental health podcasts by therapists of color" by Davia Roberts [Redefine Enough]
There's no denying that mental health is highly stigmatized in communities of color. Thankfully, stigma hasn't stopped these therapists from spreading awareness through their mental health podcasts. Check out 5 dope podcasts by therapists of color.
If you haven't seen it, filmmaker, writer, photographer, and artist Darnell Lamont Walker released a documentary about Black Mental Health. Learn more here.
RESOURCES
Therapy for Black Girls Directory
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color
American Association of Pastoral Counselors
Do you have a mental health-related story, video, event, or resource we should know about?
Are you a mental health professional? Alex is building a database of Black mental health professionals and fitness/yoga/swimming/reiki/nutrition/boxing/dance teachers/coaches/practitioners, etc. See how you can be involved.
