Black Mental Health Matters | Phillip J. Roundtree | TEDxWilmington
Summary
TLDRThe speaker, Phil, shares a deeply personal journey through trauma, mental health struggles, and resilience as a Black man. He highlights the impact of depression, anxiety, and societal expectations, emphasizing how mental health issues are often overlooked in the Black community. Through stories of loss, emotional suppression, and personal growth, Phil stresses the importance of addressing Black mental health, breaking the stigma, and moving from survival to thriving. He calls for recognition and understanding of the unique challenges Black individuals face in the realm of mental wellness.
Takeaways
- 💪 Black mental health is often overlooked and not widely recognized, especially for men who may not fit the stereotypical image of mental illness.
- 🧠 Trauma plays a major role in black mental health, influenced by historical and current events such as slavery, police violence, and systemic racism.
- 👨👦 The speaker shares personal experiences with mental health struggles, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, which aren't visible but are deeply impactful.
- 😞 The speaker's family history includes mental illness, with his grandmother living with schizophrenia, highlighting a genetic predisposition to mental health issues.
- 😭 The speaker recounts witnessing his mother's nervous breakdown as a child, a deeply traumatic experience that he was expected to suppress and move on from.
- 💔 Losing his brother to the opioid epidemic in his teenage years added to the speaker's unresolved grief and emotional turmoil, leading to difficulties in processing emotions.
- 😡 Depression and anxiety in black men often manifest as anger and rage, not as typical symptoms like isolation or sadness.
- 👮♂️ The speaker shares a story about an incident in college where his unresolved anger led to a confrontation with police over a minor situation, resulting in significant legal consequences.
- 📚 Therapy, medication, and support from mentors have been critical in the speaker's journey toward healing and wellness, which took over ten years.
- ✨ The speaker advocates for black communities to seek mental health treatment, remove the stigma, and go from merely surviving to thriving.
Q & A
What are some of the common perceptions people have about the speaker based on their appearance?
-The speaker mentions that people commonly perceive them as black, bearded, strong, and sometimes liken them to public figures like NBA superstar James Harden, hip-hop artist Donald Glover, and Curtis Jackson (50 Cent).
What does the speaker highlight as being overlooked in their appearance?
-The speaker highlights that people don’t usually perceive them as someone who has struggled with depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts, despite having dealt with these issues for 15 years.
How does the speaker describe mental health perceptions in America?
-The speaker argues that mental health issues are often associated with stereotypes, such as homeless individuals, white celebrities, or mass murderers. Rarely do people think of a successful black man with a family and educational achievements as someone battling mental health challenges.
Why does the speaker differentiate between black mental health and mental health in general?
-The speaker differentiates black mental health because of the unique individual and collective experiences, such as historical and present-day trauma, that affect the black community, including slavery, Jim Crow, police violence, and systemic racism.
What traumatic experiences does the speaker recount from their life?
-The speaker recalls three significant traumatic experiences: witnessing their mother’s nervous breakdown in eighth grade, losing their brother to drug use in high school, and being wrongfully accused of theft in college, leading to legal consequences.
How does the speaker explain the manifestation of depression and anxiety in black men?
-The speaker explains that for black men, depression and anxiety often manifest as anger and rage, rather than the stereotypical image of someone staying in bed for days. This can lead to misunderstandings and consequences like school suspensions or criminal charges.
What lesson did the speaker learn from their legal troubles at Bloomsburg University?
-The speaker learned the importance of expressing emotions in a healthy way and realized that they needed to change their approach to mental wellness. This experience eventually motivated them to focus on their mental health and well-being.
What role did the speaker’s psychology professor play in their journey toward wellness?
-The speaker’s psychology professor, Dr. Cambon Camara, offered support and a safe space to talk, which helped the speaker begin reflecting on their life and realize the need for personal change and growth.
How long did it take the speaker to address their mental health issues, and what treatments have helped them?
-It took the speaker about 10 years to come to terms with their mental health issues and seek treatment. They have since been on medication to manage suicidal thoughts and attend weekly therapy sessions, which have been crucial for their well-being.
What message does the speaker have for black individuals struggling with mental health issues?
-The speaker encourages black individuals to seek help and understand that they deserve to thrive, not just survive. They emphasize the importance of recognizing and addressing mental health issues within the black community, without wearing a 'mask' to hide these struggles.
Outlines
💪 Overcoming Stereotypes and the Hidden Struggles of Mental Health
The speaker introduces themselves by sharing common stereotypes they face based on their appearance, such as being compared to NBA superstar James Harden or rapper 50 Cent. However, they emphasize that what people don't see are their struggles with mental health—years of battling depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. They highlight how society often overlooks the mental health issues of Black men, focusing instead on white celebrities or violent criminals. The speaker aims to challenge this perception, emphasizing that Black mental health matters.
😔 Coping with Loss and the Impact of Trauma
The speaker shares a story about losing their brother to substance abuse, linking it to the ongoing opioid crisis, particularly in Black communities. They describe their initial coping mechanisms, which involved getting a tattoo to commemorate their brother's death, but they soon realized this didn't help with the pain. The speaker recounts how the loss led to an outburst in school, highlighting the ways Black men often express grief and mental health struggles through anger. This traumatic experience deepened their understanding of how depression manifests differently in Black men.
🚔 The 'Juice' Incident and a Life-Changing Experience
In this section, the speaker recounts a life-altering event from their time at Bloomsburg University. After being accused of stealing a cup of juice, their suppressed anger from years of unresolved trauma led to an explosive reaction. This resulted in them being arrested and facing multiple charges, which had significant consequences, including jail time and expulsion from the university. However, they reflect on how this incident pushed them to change their life, eventually leading to their return to the university and a renewed focus on their well-being.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Black mental health
💡Trauma
💡Depression and anxiety
💡Coping mechanisms
💡Resilience
💡Stigma
💡Historical trauma
💡Suicidal ideation
💡Suppression of emotions
💡Therapy and medication
Highlights
The speaker identifies common stereotypes about their appearance, often being compared to NBA star James Harden and rapper 50 Cent, but highlights that no one ever assumes they struggle with mental health issues.
The speaker shares personal experiences of living with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts for 15 years, five to six times a day.
In American society, mental health is often associated with specific demographics, like homeless people or white celebrities, but rarely with people of color, especially black men.
The speaker emphasizes that black mental health is often overlooked and explains that it is influenced by both individual and collective trauma, including historical events like slavery and Jim Crow laws.
The speaker recounts a traumatic experience at the age of 13 when their mother had a nervous breakdown, a moment they vividly remember despite their mother's initial denial.
Despite the trauma, the speaker was expected to continue going to school and performing, which is a common expectation for black people who are seen as resilient.
The speaker describes how they learned to suppress their emotions to cope with trauma, a behavior that is widespread but often harmful.
The speaker's brother died when they were 17, and their initial coping mechanisms—such as getting a tattoo—were influenced by the hip-hop culture's approach to grief.
The speaker discusses the stigma of black men expressing emotions, particularly in the context of depression and anxiety, which often manifest as anger and rage rather than sadness.
The speaker was suspended from school after an outburst triggered by the bottled-up emotions from their brother's death, highlighting the consequences of not being able to express emotions healthily.
A turning point came when the speaker was expelled from university for a minor incident involving a cup of juice, which led to over 20 charges and a weekend in jail.
The experience of going to jail and being expelled was a wake-up call, prompting the speaker to change their approach to life and focus on their mental health.
The speaker eventually returned to university and sought help from a psychology professor, which marked the beginning of their journey toward healing and self-improvement.
After years of living with mental health challenges, the speaker now attends therapy regularly and takes medication, which has helped them thrive rather than just survive.
The speaker encourages black men and women to seek help and work on their wellness, reminding them that they deserve to thrive and not just survive, while also challenging the perception of mental health in America.
Transcripts
[Applause]
when you look at me what do you see now
I'm gonna go through some of the things
that I typically here to the various
dude I usually get I'm black I'm bearded
and I'm strong I also get I look like
NBA superstar James Hart I'm most
definitely the poor version I get
hip-hop superstar Emmy Award winner
Donald Glover aka childish gambino yeah
that's you right and last but not least
I get Curtis Jackson aka 50 cent now one
of my goals is definitely to get rich or
die trying
I think Sallie Mae is putting the
emphasis on or die trying
right but see what I don't hear is Phil
you look like somebody that lives with
depression and anxiety Phil you look
like somebody that was suicidal for 15
years every day five to six times a day
they don't say Phil you look like
somebody that was driving on Interstate
95 wanting to crash your car to end your
life no because see here in America when
we think about mental health we think
about the homeless man who's walking the
streets talking nonsensically to
themselves we think about the the white
celebrity who takes their life via
suicide we think about the the white
mass murderer who goes into a high
school and takes the lives of innocent
children or beasts usually your
president who loves the tweet venom from
the hip but see rarely does the
conversation speak of a father of two
kids someone who possesses a master's in
exercise science a Masters in Social
Work somebody pursuing a doctorate
rarely is it a person of color rarely is
it a black man like myself
until now because black mental health
matters now you may be asking yourself
what is black mental health and why is
it differentiated amongst racial and
ethnic lines black mental health are the
individual and collective experiences
that influence the wellness of a
community trauma is the biggest
influencer of black mental health we're
talking about historical trauma slavery
Jim Crow the civil rights movement the
Tuskegee Experiment up until present day
trauma when you see somebody that looks
like you get killed in their home
rest in peace both them gene when you
see somebody who's living with mental
wellness issues get killed by the police
rest in peace laQuan McDonald of Chicago
Illinois or when you see somebody that
looks like you get killed by somebody
that looks like you rest in peace xxx
concezione see when we talk about trauma
trauma is unique to the individual and
I'm no different there were three
impactful traumatic situations that I've
experienced in my life outside of the
genetic predisposition because my
grandmother lived with schizophrenia i
harken back to being an eighth grade 13
years of age on the way to school
my mother has a nervous breakdown she's
crying
she's pulling at her clothes in her hair
she's cursing I felt helpless because I
couldn't help her or I couldn't and I
couldn't help myself
and see I was expected to continue to go
into school that day and achieve it's
funny when I when I first started
telling this story I told my mother
listen I'm telling the story of when you
had a nervous breakdown and she said so
that didn't happen now I know I'm
getting older I have a few grades right
but I swear I remember that and then she
called me a week later and she said Phil
I didn't know you remembered that as if
I wouldn't remember the most traumatic
situation that I've experienced in my
life and
typically happen often expected to just
continue on because we are so resilient
as a people because we do survive and we
survive for hundreds of years and I was
expected to survive and go into school
that day and perform and I did because
like many of us I learned how to
suppress my emotions and my feelings but
what if I didn't what if I went into
school and I started arguing with peers
and fighting what if I started arguing
with the teachers what if I did
criminalistics within the community
would I be deemed encouraged Abul and
then unable to be in the school setting
in a community setting or would anybody
care that I just experienced this
traumatic situation that has impacted me
fast forward to my 12th grade year 17
years of age January 2001 my mother said
Phil come downstairs
she said Phil your brother Bobby died
and I started crying that was probably
the only healthy coping skill that I had
at the time right because being a
product of the hip-hop culture
hip-hop tells me when somebody dies you
either go out and get some liquor or you
go get a rest in peace' tattoo well I
wasn't old enough to drink that would
happen once I got to college right but I
went out and I got this wrestling piece
tattoo as if that was going to do
something if that was want to take away
the pain of losing a primary
relationship it didn't and people asked
me feel well how did your brother die
say the opioid epidemic is as popular
now but in the black community in the
hip-hop community especially amongst
black male it's always existed he was
one who liked to use codeine and xanax I
don't know what he was trying to cope
with I will never know I went to school
that Monday because I didn't have
anybody to say Phil stay home because my
mother was was going through it because
she just lost her only child and I
went to school feeling all of this
emotion and I remember it like yesterday
I was sitting in computer class mrs.
Williams my computer teacher came up to
me and I don't know what she said she
said Phil she could have said Phil what
was the score of the Eagles game last
night I let her have it
I blacked on her I cursed her out
why because I had all this built-up
anger all this built-up rage because see
when we're talking about depression and
anxiety for black men especially it
doesn't look like somebody laying in bed
for six and seven days on end
no it manifests itself through anger and
rage I ended up getting suspended that
day and Miss Williams and I were able to
laugh at the situation years later
because I was able to cope with it and
understand what I was feeling but again
it was a moment in time that impact of
my life my third and final story
happened at Bloomsburg University in
Bloomsburg Pennsylvania
again we've remembers formatic
situations and I remember it like it was
yesterday I call it the Jews story right
because when I go fill out job
applications and it says have you ever
been convicted of a crime as long as it
doesn't say mr. Meanor a felony I can I
can ignore it if it says that but if he
says have you ever been convicted of a
crime I have to check it off and then I
put well it all started with a cup of
juice and then the employers they laugh
like oh man and I laugh like hahaha
that's my life so the juice story is I
was coming from the gym to go get me
something to eat
I got my food I paid for it emphasis on
pay and you know how you go to
McDonald's they give you a cup and you
can go through that felony and get
whatever drink you want and I did that
and I tasted it to see water and see if
it was watered down but see when you go
to a predominantly white institution
like Bloomsburg University it seems like
they have all the minorities names on a
list and she's the school police officer
said Phil that stealing mind-blown and
me having this anger this frustration
has built up over years of trial
and me not being able to express myself
in a healthy way I blacked on her just
like I dead miss Willie did miss
Williams
unbeknownst to me that would lead to
20-plus charges I ended up going to jail
that night I ended up getting expelled
from school I ended up doing a weekend
in jail because listen they say you'll
get judged by a jury of your peers with
the average age in that community being
60 and over it wasn't gonna be a jury of
my peers but I needed that experience I
needed it and I I needed it because it
told me that Phil I have to do something
different I ended up appealing to get
back in the Bloomsburg University and
people knew me so people wanted me back
and so I got back and I was focused one
day my psychology professor dr. Cambon
camara god blessed the dead he said Phil
come talk to me about anything anytime
and I took him up on that I went and
talked to him not to talk about school I
went to talk to him about a young lady I
had been courting right and I wanted to
understand why did she want me so I went
to his office I'm like listen I bought
her sneakers I took her to the movies I
took her to dinner well my mom took her
to dinner and all those things because I
didn't have a job thanks mom but he said
to me Phil in life you change to get
something or to keep something talking
about little did I know that that will
become my mantra then I realized I had
to change I had to work on my wellness
so I can be whole it took approximately
ten years because that's the average
length of time that they say somebody
who live with mental wellness issues
that's the time that it takes for them
to come to grips with it and to seek
treatment for black people I think it's
much longer and so within those ten
years I've been on medication which
quelled the suicidal ideations there no
more I go to therapy every week hi dr.
Val it's been so critical for me and my
wellness because I decided to go from
living to thriving
to my black brothers and sisters you two
deserve to go from living to thriving we
no longer have to wear the mask we're
survivors there's help now we can get
help and walk out there with our heads
held high and get the treatment that we
need so we can go from living to
thriving to my nan bled brothers and
sisters will you now view the black
person that you come in contact with and
it might be in a negative way and
recognize that you know what they might
have gone through something or to see
them when they excel what they had to go
through to get to that point or will
mental health continue to be viewed in
America as Kate Spade as Anthony
Bourdain as chester bennington as Robin
Williams would it now include actor Sam
Sarpong Lee Thompson young will it now
include ten-year-old Ashanti Davis who
took her life because of bullying when
now represent a manual Sloane who's the
reason why I'm here because in 19 years
of age he decided to take his life by
jumping in front of a train this isn't
an indictment on you or on America this
is just a public service announcement
that's stating that we're here and we
deserve to live and to thrive thank you
[Applause]
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