Stress Tested

By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer Editor’s Note: This is the first of eight stories sharing local Black men’s personal mental health trials and triumphs. The men were among those who responded to Senior Staff Writer Genoa Barrow’s community engagement questionnaire, titled “Where’s Your Head At?” and indicated their willingness to share their wider experiences. The OBSERVER thanks them for being vulnerable, rising above the stigma of speaking about mental health issues and will share their deeply moving stories over the coming weeks. For years, Ryan McClinton has worked in the space where mental health and community well-being intersect. It wasn’t until 2023, however, that the South Sacramento native began looking at his own experiences differently. McClinton, 38, lists unaddressed familial trauma, community trauma, systemic racism, classism, the lack of culturally competent mental health services, workplace trauma, imposter syndrome, depression and self-doubt among the challenges he’s working to overcome. He sees a therapist for anxiety. “I’ve been dealing with anxiety for much longer than I realized,” McClinton tells The OBSERVER. “I didn’t know all the ways anxiety shows up. I knew what the definition of anxiety was, but I think that’s the thing about mental health, especially as...