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.
Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, aka “Logic,” is a streamer, writer, record label owner, and a recently retired rapper.
He grew up in poverty with substance-addicted parents. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Black or African Americans living below the poverty level, compared to those over twice the poverty level, are twice as likely to report serious psychological distress.
In his late twenties, he was finally financially stable in his life. However, his hectic schedule and his own insecurities led to a severe anxiety attack and was hospitalized. He was diagnosed with derealization disorder – an anxiety-induced disorder with symptoms that include the sense of being out of one’s body, all of the time.
In 2017, the Grammy-Nominated rapper released “1-800-273-8255” in association with The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. With record highs in Billboard charts, this single also stuck another interesting cord — A high number of calls to the hotline. The director of The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline said, “Overall, we saw about 26-27% increase in calls that year,” “The overall water level, so to speak, had risen and largely due — we believe — to the song.”
As a biracial rapper, he struggles with how the world sees him, especially with the negativity that lives on social media. He told the Recording Academy about his experience with mental health and anxiety. “I was so scared for so long to say that because society has led me to believe that my anxiety is stupid and shouldn’t be talked about, or that suicide, ‘Who cares, who’s weak enough to kill themselves?,’ which is the most terrible, disgusting, ugly thing somebody can say,“ In retrospect, he finds positivity to it all and wants to focus on living freely and being surrounded by happiness.
Black men are dying from suicide at increasing rates. A recent report released by the Congressional Black Caucus says that suicide is ranked as the 3rd leading cause of death in Black men from ages 15-24. “There’s a need for black male therapists because that is who they’re going to feel more comfortable talking to,” said Diamond Dale, a Black Mental Health Advocate.
Black women also face challenges with suicidal thoughts or actions, like Oscar- Winning actress Halle Berry.
In 1997, her first failed marriage with baseball star David Justice triggered an attempt to take her own life. The 40-year-old was so devastated by the split, that she attempted to gas herself. In the last minute, she thought of her mother and came to a quick realization that ending her life would be selfish. In an interview with Parade Magazine, Berry said “I was sitting in my car, and I knew the gas was coming when I had an image of my mother finding me. She sacrificed so much for her children, and to end my life would be an incredibly selfish thing to do.”
Since then, counseling and therapy helped her take control of her life. She reprogramed herself into focusing on motherhood and family.
According to an article, ‘What’s Going on with Our Black Girls’, by Christina Caron, suicide rate of Black females ages 15 to 24 years old rose by 59 percent between 2013 and 2019. The same article states that about 9 percent of the older girls experienced a relationship crisis before the suicide – similar to Halle Berry’s experience.
A study by sociology doctoral student Heather Kugelmass, MA., showed that counseling offices are not always available for black women and therapists are less likely to offer appointments due to a possible internal bias of their own. Aside from this lack of resources, psychologists are now working to make the mental health field more welcoming to Black women and more responsive to their needs.
Suicide is death caused by injuring oneself with the intent to die. A suicide attempt is when someone harms themselves with any intent to end their life, but they do not die as a result of their actions.
A combination of situations could lead someone to consider suicide. Risk factors increase the possibility of suicide, but they might not be direct causes.
Risk Factors:
Individual:
• Previous suicide attempt
• Mental illness, such as depression
• Social isolation
• Criminal problems
• Financial problems
• Impulsive or aggressive tendencies
• Job problems or loss
• Legal problems
• Serious illness
• Substance use disorder
Relationship:
• Adverse childhood experiences such as child abuse and neglect
• Bullying
• Family history of suicide
• Relationship problems such as a break-up, violence, or loss
• Sexual violence
Community:
• Barriers to health care
• Cultural and religious beliefs such as a belief that suicide is noble resolution of a personal problem
• Suicide cluster in the community
Societal:
• Stigma associated with mental illness or help-seeking
• Easy access to lethal means among people at risk (e.g. firearms, medications)
• Unsafe media portrayals of suicide
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:
• https://blog.gfuel.com/logic-rapper
• https://nypost.com/2017/08/03/how-a-rapper-fought-through-crushing-anxiety-to-become-no-1/
• https://www.grammy.com/news/logic-opens-about-his-truth-hardest-years-my-life-mentally
• https://www.npr.org/2021/12/28/1067880209/logic-1-800-273-8255-suicide-prevention-lifeline
• https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=4&lvlid=24
• https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/black-male-suicide-deaths-rising-faster-than-other-racial-groups/509-1dea0383-e5d8-4ce2-95dd-12ee43b52b62
• https://www.nydailynews.com/news/halle-berry-admits-suicide-attempt-article-1.213921
• https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/10/well/mind/suicide-rates-black-girls.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html