This year for Black History Month, we will be highlighting different mental illnesses each week and two prominent members in the Black community who have spoken out about their experiences with them. We aim to highlight that even though someone has a mental illness, they can still be successful.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is an actor, businessman, and former professional wrestler, known as one of Hollywood’s tough guys and top earners. Seemingly someone who has it all together, the former wrestler-turned-actor started shedding light a few years ago on his battle with depression.
He first experienced depression after not getting drafted into the NFL after playing collegiate football. “Struggle and pain is real. I was devastated and depressed,” Johnson said in an interview with The Daily Express. “I reached a point where I didn’t want to do a thing or go anywhere. I was crying constantly.”
It took time, hard work and self-empathy for The Rock to get through the difficult times. Rates of major depressive disorder in young Black adults ages 18 to 25 increased by more than 3 percent between 2015 and 2018, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), yet Black Americans of all age groups are less likely to seek treatment than white Americans. While Black Americans experience similar rates of mental illness as other Americans in general, research finds that Black men are more likely to endorse aspects of traditional masculine ideology, such as the need to act tough and in control and to avoid emotional expression.
Because of this many Black men are not receiving the help they need for these problems. For example, only 26.4% of Black and Hispanic men ages 18 to 44 who experienced daily feelings of anxiety or depression were likely to have used mental health services, compared with 45.4% of non-Hispanic White men with the same feelings (NCHS Data Brief No. 206, 2015).
“Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up,” he continued. “Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone.”
Successful women have also gone through depression, like Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams. In fact, depression facts and statistics commonly report that women are two times more likely to suffer from depression than men. Tenitra Michelle Williams is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame in the 2000s as a member of R&B girl group Destiny’s Child, one of the best-selling female groups of all time with over 60 million records.
During her time within Destiny’s Child, Michelle suffered from anxiety after years of being negatively compared to her bandmates. “For a lot of folks, it was Beyoncé, Kelly, and ‘that other girl,’” she writes. The singer was bombarded with negative thoughts, like, “Maybe they’re right. Maybe I should quit. Maybe I’m not talented. Maybe I am a joke.”
Though she suffered for years, Michelle wasn’t diagnosed with clinical depression until she was 30 – years after she left the group – when she went to see a therapist. Nearly a decade after that she checked herself into a treatment facility after having suicidal thoughts following a breakup with her then fiancé.
In her book, Checking In, she aims to remove the stain of shame from mental illness and to encourage people to seek help if they need it. “Depression is an assassin,” Michelle writes. “It acts like a silent, slow killer. And if you don’t deal with it, it can just swallow you up.” Michelle urges her fans, and anyone struggling to check in and not ignore their feelings of depression and anxiety.
Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. It can cause trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes feel as if life isn’t worth living.
More than just a “bout of the blues”, depression isn’t a weakness, and you can’t simply “snap out” of it. Depression may require long-term treatment. But fortunately, most people with depression feel better with medication, psychotherapy or both (Mayo Clinic). The National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) lists experiencing the following signs and symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, as a likelihood that you may be suffering from depression:
• Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood
• Feelings of hopelessness, or pessimism
• Irritability
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities
• Decreased energy or fatigue
• Moving or talking more slowly
• Feeling restless or having trouble sitting still
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
• Difficulty sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
• Appetite and/or weight changes
• Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
• Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause and/or that do not ease even with treatment
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
If you would like to speak to someone about better managing your stress and anxiety, or to make an appointment, please call (717) 782-6493 for more information.
Sources:
• Depression (major depressive disorder) – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic
• NIMH » Depression (nih.gov)
• Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Opened Up About His Battle With Depression (menshealth.com)
• Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson reveals how he beat years of depression (cnbc.com)
• Black men’s mental health matters (apa.org)
• Michelle Williams On Beyonce, Kelly & Depression: They Had ‘No Idea’ – Hollywood Life