black mental health
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On World Mental Health Day, Designer Kenneth Cole Offers Hope With the Launch of the Mental Health Coalition
October is a month of commemorations; it marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, includes the last two weeks of Hispanic Heritage Month, and tomorrow is International Day of the Girl. But mental health is an issue that affects every demographic—in fact, the World Health Organization estimates 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health condition…
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She’s Not Your Superwoman: Miko Branch of Miss Jessie’s Pays Homage to Her Sister Titi on Her 50th Birthday
With over 46 million Americans experiencing mental illness in any given year, it is something which directly or indirectly affects us all. Yet, black women, in particular, often suffer in silence because of shame, stigma or frankly, lack of resources or time to take care of themselves. That black woman muttering to herself on a…
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Fear, Medication and Black Mental Health: A Physician’s View From the Front Lines
Since becoming a primary care physician over 20 years ago, I made the conscious choice to cement my career treating black and minority patients, primarily in underserved and indigent communities. This career arc spans from rural clinics treating migrant farm workers to predominately black, inner-city hospitals. And while the reports of the overmedication of America…
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New Research Says That Identifying as a ‘Strong Black Woman’ Can Lead to Depression
In the last few years at least, there has been some pushback against the prevailing notion of the “strong black woman” as a good thing, as black women themselves have recognized that vulnerability and yes, selfishness, is an important part of a healthy mental make up. Like so many things that have gotten us through…
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Is Dating Getting Young People in the Door to Therapy? These Experts Say Yes
Dating is hard. Anyone who says otherwise is probably lying or not a millennial. Whether the reason is we’re too busy to find someone, too uncomfortable to get out there (one time for the awkward black girls!), or a whole host of other reasons, more and more young people are finding it harder to settle…
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Broken Leg Syndrome: Why Don’t We Take Meds for Our Mental Health?
For twenty-five years, I’ve had to work through anxiety, depression and all sorts of mental health stuff. What have I learned? You need the right team to stay healthy. And just like any illness, it will likely start with some sort of medical intervention. But many times, people turn up their nose at the idea…
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#WCW: Serena Williams Just Got Real—and Relatable—About Postpartum Emotional Fallout
She may be the greatest athlete of all time (fight me), but Serena Williams recently admitted that despite daughter Alexis Olympia being the center of her universe, she’s not always confident that she’s the greatest mom. In a confessional post on Tuesday, Williams got real about the effects of postpartum hormones, telling her followers: Last week…
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Destiny's Child Singer Michelle Williams Checks Into Mental Health Facility to Fight Depression
Michelle Williams, the songstress who vaulted into notoriety along with some woman named Beyoncè (I wonder whatever happened to her?), has voluntarily checked herself into a California mental health facility a few days ago. TMZ reports that Williams is being treated at a facility near Los Angeles, Calif., continuing her ongoing fight against depression. The…
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NYC’s First Lady Is Addressing the Intersection Between Incarcerated Women and Mental Illness
We want people to recognize that [the state of] our jails, our prisons, our emergency rooms—these are the results of untreated mental illness. So said New York City’s first lady, Chirlane McCray, during a recent visit to Chicago, telling her audience that she hopes to “disrupt” the link between mental illness and incarceration. To do…
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The Great Escape: A Journey to the Center of Myself
Editor’s note: Until recently, mental health and illness were taboo subjects in the black community. But thanks to the efforts of those brave enough to speak on it, that’s changing. In that vein, The Root team is taking this week during Mental Health Awareness Month to write about how mental health has touched our lives.…