Black and Depressed: Two African-American Women Break the Silence

[Blue_Tires]

According to Raymond DePaulo, Jr. M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, African American populations do not have higher rates of depression in the US. However, the statistics may be skewed because African Americans are much less likely to report their symptoms of depression.

The stigma and prejudice toward mental health issues in Black communities is especially thick, making it very difficult for persons suffering from depression or anxiety (or any mood disorder) to acknowledge it, let alone seek treatment. When I participated in a six-week outpatient program at Laurel Hospital, half the group was African American. The stories horrified me. Most of the African Americans could not reveal to any member in their family what they were doing (the outpatient program) because the stigma was so deep and tall and wide.

Awhile back I interviewed professor and blogger writer Monica Coleman, Ph.D., on Beyond Blue. She described the stigma in this way:


In many ways, I do think that there is a greater stigma among African American culture than among white cultures. I live in southern California, and many white people will freely reference “seeing a therapist” in normal conversation. Black people don’t do that. Seeing a therapist is generally seen as a sign of weakness or a lack of faith. There is still an active mythos of “the strong black woman,” who is supposed to be strong and present and capable for everyone in her family – and neglects her own needs. In the midst of a depressive episode, I had a friend say to me, “We are the descendants of those who survived the Middle Passage and slavery. Whatever you’re going through cannot be that bad.” I was so hurt and angry by that statement. No, depression isn’t human trafficking, genocide or slavery, but it is real death-threatening pain to me. And of course, there are those who did not survive those travesties. But that comment just made me feel small and selfish and far worse than before. It made me wish I had never said anything at all.

So without support from the community, or at least family and friends, how does a person begin to recover?

http://psychcentral.com/lib/black-and-depressed-two-african-american-women-break-the-silence/0008294

[unclesammysays]

1. Reply

I send you my compassion.

[freshwest]

2. I formed ideas of the black condition in American society early on in life. I quickly came to an

Last edited Tue Dec 10, 2013, 04:00 AM - Edit history (2)

amazing conclusion, to my way of thinking as a child. I didn't see how blacks could function on a daily basis without going stark raving mad.

I never stopped wondering how blacks survived it, many did die, many are dying from things others would not be faced with, and it is only the survivors we hear from. As Sojourner Truth said, women of color have not been treated like human beings, what a mockery to look at ladies with lace and privilege 'protected' by racist men.

That AA's have not turned into maniacs like the KKK and others, says something about AA's that many whites do not ever learn, even in the face of what must be an ingrained paranoia by now. I'll try clumsily to explain what it is

Growing up with a certain sense of safety as white, I didn't think I could handle the same burden. I asked my self what would it be like to walk the world with a target painted on one's back painted by racists?

To feel that every minute of the day in a majority society that sees one as a trespasser, or a criminal when one is not? How can one feel free to grow and be open to discovery and learning in that environment?

It made me sad, uncomfortable and curious. In my later years of depression (family matters) brought me to a conclusion that for me, depression was being forced to deal with a lie by those in your life with more power than you.

Their dishonest, self-serving reality being enforced upon on you. If you don't agree, you are an outlier to be punished, creating incredible internal pressure, so much that a person has trouble focusing. You can't live a lie for someone else, you must be what you are.

A doctor asked me what did I think was the cause of depression. My response was that would make you question reality and become wise, or go crazy by trying to hold onto a vision that one needs as security in the world to grow. But it's a lie, so all attempts to reconcile oneself to it will fail.

AAs in the USA endured centuries of boundaries being crossed, their humanity, character and simply one's continued existence being questioned. Why is there so much suffering in poor communities which are predominantly of color, as we see in the stories at DU, that go under the radar?

The first cause is poverty, and the solution is simple, find a thing one can achieve and move up. Blacks for generations have not been allowed free movement in this nation, or opportunities. It's been like an open air prison, with the boundaries enforced by economic and legal strategies.

The other is devaluing oneself, because one knows one is not considered worthwhile. Does it really matter if one does all the right things, works, saves, lives the moral life, and it is all taken away by one violent mob, if one crosses a line set up as a trap, and the bigger injustices left unaddressed?

Depression is the normal reaction to living in a cage made by racism. If one was not depressed, one would not be in touch with reality. Am I making any sense here?

[JustAnotherGen]

3. Rec this thread because of this post!

[Blue_Tires]

4. thanks for this..

excellent insights..