Reducing Stigma Around Mental Health in the Black Community Can Save Lives

For anyone with mental health challenges in our country, societal expectations, culture, and public health can lead to debilitating feelings of self-doubt, myth, and stigma–especially in the Black community. The stigma and myths abound, too often robbing our community of the health and progress we deserve, and leading to fatal consequences. One such myth is that mental illness is a sign of weakness, especially among Black men.  This segment of our population has a long history of being demasculinized and marginalized based on the color of their skin and resilient stereotypes. Adding another layer of marginalization on top of the difficulties of accessing mental health treatment, and we find ourselves in a public health crisis that has not significantly improved for the Black and other marginalized communities in many generations. Consider the way our communities accept and buy into the stigma and myth. Ask yourself, how many times have you used words like “looney”, “nut”, or described a person struggling with a mental health challenge as, “crazy as heck,” or worse?  Now ask yourself if you would use equally derogatory words and phrases to describe someone’s race, physical abilities, or intellect. As with all types of negative attitudes, ideas, and...