Mental Health

My introduction to mental health was about a decade ago, when I studied psychology at A-level. I remember learning about different mental health disorders and developing an interest in this subject.  Mental health is still a stigma within the black community, and  it is not openly discussed. In African communities, especially the older generation,  some believe that the answer to mental health  issues is to "pray" for it to go away, instead of actually addressing the issue. There is also the belief that black people are "strong" therefore we do not really suffer from mental health issues. A lot of times, mental health is viewed as a "white people" issue.  However, there are many black people who do suffer from mental health issues, but find it hard to speak to someone about what they are going through,  or to seek help because of how they may be perceived or judged.

This leads people to suffer in silence, which is dangerous. I hear of people committing suicide and those close to them will say things like "S/he seemed fine, I didn't know there was something wrong" "why didn't they say anything".  As human beings, we are very good at putting on masks and hiding what is going on inside of us.  Someone may be smiling on the outside but suffering  on the inside. Despite what you see, you never know what is truly going on in someone's life. That is why I believe it is very important to check up on the people you care about, to see how they really are, even if they appear to 'have everything together'. You never know, you could potentially save a life.

It is not easy to tell someone that you are suffering from mental health issues or to discuss what you are going through. That is why I believe it is very important for everyone to have a support network around them of people they can trust and talk to. This could be your friends, your family or even a therapist/counsellor. If you are going through difficulties in your life, please talk to someone about it and do not suffer alone.

Mental health can affect all types of people regardless of race, gender and class. More recently there has been more conversations about mental health. There are celebrities who openly discuss their battle with mental health. I believe this is a positive thing as mental health awareness is very important. Depression and anxiety are the most common forms of mental illnesses. In 2017, a third of sick notes written by GP's were for mental health reasons.

I believe mental illness are becoming more common due to changes in society. With the rise of social media we base our value and worth in what social media tells us. e.g. that we must look a particular way, we must earn a certain amount of money, we must live a particular lifestyle. Further, with the young generation, they get their validation from the amount of likes and social media followers they have. A study was done which showed that dopamine (which makes us feel good) is released in the brain when someone receives a like, therefore making us crave more likes etc. This is detrimental to our mental health. There is also societal pressure  to achieve certain milestones by certain ages, i.g. marriage, having children, having your own place or to obtain society's definition of "success". When we do not match up to these standards, we feel inadequate which can lead to low self esteem, low confidence and depression. A lot of mental health issues are triggered by external factors, e.g. life situations, people, environment.

Mental health is equally important as physical health. I dealt with depression years ago when nothing in my life was working out. I felt like I was worthless and a failure. I stayed in my room and isolated myself from everyone, and  was consumed by negative thoughts. It took me a while before I spoke to someone about how I felt. More recently, I have been dealing with anxiety and have experienced  panic attacks. I did not understand why this was happening to me and felt that something was wrong with me. One Sunday at church, my Pastor spoke about his experiences with anxiety and how he dealt with it. This made me realise that I wasn't  alone in what I was experiencing. I also remember some of the youtubers who I am subscribed to, open up about their mental health issues and how therapy had helped them.

I started to consider therapy, but I admit, I did have negative pre-conceived notions about therapy, hence  why I had put off going. It is when I got to a point where I was close to having a mental breakdown, that I sought assistance from a therapist. Therapy has helped me a lot to deal with my anxiety and to understand why I feel the way that I do. I've learned a lot from my therapy sessions, including thinking patterns and how to deal with certain emotions.  I have also learned more about myself that I wouldn't have known otherwise. I would recommend that everybody should try therapy, as we all go through difficulties in life. Just because you see a therapist it does not mean that you are "crazy" or that something is wrong with you. You don't need to be diagnosed with a mental health condition to see a therapist.

If you are going through difficulties with your mental health, remember that it is ok, you are human. This does not make you a weak person. You are not alone. Talk to someone about your struggles, there is help and support available. You can see a therapist through the NHS https://beta.nhs.uk/find-a-psychological-therapies-service/check . Make your mental health a priority and take care of it like you would do your physical body.