mental health
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What to Make of Kanye West?
This piece started off quite differently. You see, after years of skating around the margins of the sentiment, I’d finally leaned into full-on “F—k Kanye West” mode. It followed years of annoyance at his trend of constantly obnoxious and solipsistic behavior. Even his admission during a recent concert that he didn’t vote at all Nov. 8…
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Pa. Woman Sent Video of Lifeless Toddler to Father, Police Say
A young McKeesport, Pa., mother is accused of killing her toddler son and then sending disturbing video footage and texts to the child’s father, CBS Pittsburgh reports. According to police, upon responding to a call at the Hi View Gardens housing complex at around 11 p.m. Tuesday, authorities found the unresponsive 17-month-old boy, who was…
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Father of Alfred Olango, Man Killed by Police, Creates Police-Reform Foundation
The father of a California man who was killed last month by El Cajon, Calif., police announced over the weekend that he has created a foundation for police reform, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Richard Olango announced Saturday that San Diego would be the headquarters of the Alfred Olango Justice and Unity Foundation, “for the whole…
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9 Things to Consider When Starting Therapy
OK, so, look: I am not a mental-health professional yet. I am, however, starting my journey toward becoming a therapist next spring and am developing an ultradope mental-health nonprofit to address the unique mental-wellness needs of black folks. I am but a humble, grits-loving chile who loves some therapy, writes about mental health, and loves…
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Army Reservist Who Killed 5 Dallas Officers Showed PTSD Symptoms: Documents
Micah Johnson, the Army reservist who shot and killed five Dallas police officers in an ambush last month, showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder after returning to the U.S. from Afghanistan in 2014, the Associated Press reports. According to the newly released documents from the Veterans Health Administration, Johnson sought treatment for anxiety, depression and…
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Simple Changes to Your Diet Can Help With Mental-Health Issues
The link between the immune system and the worsening of certain mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, has been shown, though not fully understood. The link between the mind, the gut and your immune system has been long established. This is due to the presence of serotonin—the chemical found in the brain, decreased levels…
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On the Road to Self-Care, Exercising Is One Way to Stay Mentally and Physically Fit
If you’re anything like me, the events that have unfolded over the past 72 hours have been at best astonishing and at worst exhausting. Being black in America has always been a particularly tenuous game: Show your well-earned frustration to others and you could be branded as too sensitive. Keep your legitimate anger inside yourself…
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Black Trauma and Self-Care: How Can Black People Heal After Witnessing Excessive Violence Against Our Own?
Police shootings seem to be a normal occurrence these days. It’s a scary reminder that despite how often we chant “Black lives matter,” for many in law enforcement and people without melanin, our lives are disposable. With the frequency of such shootings, we’ve been bombarded with graphic videos and photos of victims all over our…