In this short piece Tavie explores the issues that many Black people face in the UK when seeking professional help for their mental health and questions whether the mental health services in this country are doing enough to cater to our needs.
“Other people are going through much worse you know?”
“Have you been praying/reading your Bible?”
“You just need some fresh air to take your mind off things”
Mental illnesses like depression and anxiety are often met with these kinds of minimising statements due to a widespread lack of understanding but the ignorance surrounding mental health is not surprising when you consider how uncomfortable the topic seems to make people.Admitting to a flare up of chronic back pain or asthma with your work colleagues would not stop the conversation in its tracks… But responding to “how was your weekend?” with “my depression is affecting me so badly that it’s hard to get out of bed most days” would most certainly derail the light-hearted morning pleasantries.
Why is this?
Read Full Article below.
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