You might think, with the dawn of 2022, that frank talk about mental health is as common as passing the butter at the dinner table. And in truth, we’ve come a long way from the days of denial and labeling people with psychological challenges as damaged goods. But for the average African American, acknowledging that your emotional, psychological, and social well-being is affecting your everyday life is still very taboo, especially for Black men.
There are many layers as to why African American men disproportionally suffer quietly from mental illness but a lot of it can be attributed to equity issues and racism, suggests Edwin C. Chapman, M.D., an internist specializing in addiction medicine at the Black Mental Health Alliance, a collaboration of doctors and experts dedicated to the wellness of Black people, located in Baltimore, MD. If you want to get to the root of the issue, this phenomenon of Black men suffering silently with mental illness “comes from a history of slavery, segregation, and the Jim Crow era,” says Dr. Chapman.
“[Black men] were always taught to not let people see them suffering, so we hide it, internalize it, and don’t talk about it,” says Dr. Chapman. “It comes from a long tradition of oppression and as a result of that, anxiety and depression, which is often misinterpreted in our community as a sign of weakness. Denial is really a defense mechanism and [a way] to hide that hurt.”
In the past few years, a growing effort has been made by Black male athletes, artists, and celebrities to come forward and speak openly about their mental health struggles. The hope: By being candid about their situations, it may reduce the stigma and give other Black men the confidence to do the same. It’s a step in the right direction, say experts, but more needs to be done.
Read more at HealthCentral.com.
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