‘Superwoman Schema,’ The Mental Health Syndrome That Is Disproportionately Affecting Black Women

Glenda Boone was disappointed at how distant her relationship with her oldest daughter became after she went from Miss to Mrs, according to Good Morning America. She assumed her firstborn’s new husband was the reason behind the shift, so it was shocking news when it was discovered she was the reason their dynamic changed after a talk with her other daughter Lauren revealed they never felt an emotional connection with her even though everyone lived under the same roof. “I never thought about taking care of my mental health because my generation was taught when you talked about mental health, you automatically thought mental illness,” Glenda shared with Deborah Roberts during an interview with GMA. “So, for me, it was more of a suppression. From [my time as] a small child, even my emotions, you suppress them. You suck it up.” The marketing executive naturally assumed being physically present mattered most in the childhood stage, so instead of making sure she was healthy mentally, her focus was supporting her kids by providing them with the necessities to have a functional lifestyle. Many women in the Black community refer to themselves as superwomen because regardless of the multitude of challenges they...