Black Mental Health Matters | Phillip J. Roundtree | TEDxWilmington

Summary

The 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

00:00

💪 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.

05:00

😔 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.

10:01

🚔 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.

Keywords

💡Black mental health

Black mental health refers to the unique psychological experiences and challenges faced by Black individuals due to historical and ongoing trauma, including slavery, Jim Crow, and police brutality. The speaker emphasizes that Black mental health matters, highlighting the underrepresentation and stigmatization of mental health issues in the Black community. In the script, the speaker discusses personal struggles with depression and anxiety, which are rarely acknowledged in Black men.

💡Trauma

Trauma in the context of the video refers to the psychological wounds caused by both personal experiences and collective historical events, particularly those affecting the Black community. The speaker mentions various traumatic incidents, such as the death of Botham Jean, Laquan McDonald, and personal traumas, like the loss of the speaker's brother. This concept is central to understanding how unresolved trauma can shape mental health and emotional responses.

💡Depression and anxiety

Depression and anxiety are mental health conditions that the speaker has struggled with for 15 years, manifesting in thoughts of suicide and emotional suppression. These conditions are often misunderstood or not associated with Black men, as they are expected to be 'strong' and 'resilient.' The speaker challenges this stereotype, sharing how depression and anxiety affected his daily life and emotional well-being.

💡Coping mechanisms

Coping mechanisms refer to the ways people handle stress, trauma, and mental health challenges. In the script, the speaker talks about unhealthy coping mechanisms prevalent in hip-hop culture, such as drinking and getting tattoos to honor the deceased, as opposed to seeking therapy. He later reflects on healthier approaches, such as therapy and medication, that helped him thrive.

💡Resilience

Resilience is the ability to recover from difficult experiences, often seen as a hallmark of Black communities. The speaker explains how Black people are expected to continue functioning despite trauma, as they have historically done through slavery and oppression. However, this resilience often leads to emotional suppression rather than addressing mental health issues directly.

💡Stigma

Stigma refers to the negative perceptions and shame associated with mental illness, especially in the Black community. The speaker highlights how mental health struggles are often ignored or dismissed, particularly in Black men, who are perceived as strong. He discusses the cultural barriers that prevent Black people from seeking help, further complicating their mental health struggles.

💡Historical trauma

Historical trauma is the collective emotional and psychological pain experienced by a group of people over generations, due to events like slavery, segregation, and systemic racism. In the script, the speaker connects this concept to modern-day experiences, such as witnessing police brutality and violence in Black communities, which perpetuate cycles of trauma and impact mental health.

💡Suicidal ideation

Suicidal ideation refers to thoughts about taking one's own life. The speaker reveals that he experienced these thoughts multiple times a day for 15 years, underscoring the severity of his depression. This personal account challenges the stereotypical image of those who struggle with mental illness and highlights the importance of discussing suicide in the context of Black mental health.

💡Suppression of emotions

Suppression of emotions refers to the act of hiding or ignoring one's feelings, which the speaker describes as a common response in Black communities. He explains how Black men, in particular, are expected to suppress their emotions to maintain a façade of strength, which often leads to mental health issues manifesting as anger or aggression.

💡Therapy and medication

Therapy and medication are presented as essential tools for managing mental health. The speaker shares his journey of seeking therapy and using medication to cope with his mental health challenges, breaking the stigma around these treatments in the Black community. He emphasizes how these resources helped him move from merely surviving to thriving, encouraging others to seek similar support.

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]