The mind, body, and spirit are innately tied together in terms of wellness and living a healthy, balanced life. Even those of us that are not remotely close to becoming health professionals know that when one of the three is off track, the other areas also suffer. In recent years, citizens are beginning to notice the effects of the United States drastically cutting funds to mental and emotional health facilities around the nation. Families of those who suffer with mental health issues are left to find sufficient resources and care that has become increasingly harder to obtain. Imagine the suffering that they must feel as well when you actively search for help for loved ones but keeping running into dead ends. It seems only after someone has become violent or commits a crime that the system begins to take notice.
Last year two young, intelligent, very well respected and liked former classmates passed on by their own terms. Blinded by their constant smiles and open hearts, many of us close to them failed to recognize or acknowledge the inner turmoil that they were evidently dealing with. Both black men, neither one of them that I know of, ever sought out help to battle their demons. Two glorious spirits, both seemingly successful beyond normal standards, are now gone too soon with parents, children, friends and colleagues left behind wondering what more could we have done to make their plight a little easier.
Many of us know "crazy" people. We may laugh at them, ignore them, or avoid them all together. One of our biggest failures is not noticing that seemingly normal people can be just as "crazy". Black people are slowly coming around to recognizing the power and freedom of seeking help from professionals concerning therapy and other mental or emotional heath treatment. The idea that visiting therapists, is slowing becoming less taboo in the Black community as more of us recognize the dire need for it as we see more of our family members and friends suffer in silence.
Dan Barry recently published an amazingly well written and researched piece in the New York Times titled, "The Boys in the Bunkhouse". The article beautifully details through first hand accounts the mistreatment, gross negligence, and outright suffering that thousands of men suffered simply because they were found to be intellectually inferior or sometimes "too much to handle". Some spent decades working on a turkey farm completing disgusting tasks with little to no oversight or pay. Their story is what most of us would consider a total lack of regard for human life. Reading Barry's work invokes an array of emotions. It was at times very insightful, sometimes disgusting and heart wrenching but most of all it was informative. Though many of the men involved suffered horrid conditions, their abuse produced a silver lining concerning a large victory over the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. More importantly it brought national attention to the way we treat those considered mentally incapable.
While great lengths have been made over the last 50 years concerning diagnosis and treatment mental illness, there is a long road ahead to offering effective and constant support to those in need. As individuals we must learn to recognize signs and symptoms so that we can be a resource to those who may need it.
If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional or mental issues, please see some of the available resources below.
The National Institute of Mental Heatlth (NIMH)
www.nimh.nih.gov
Mental Health
www.mentalhealth.gov
Active Minds
www.activeminds.org
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Administration (SAMSHA)
www.sam
