Today on Black Lives Matter, you’ll hear from Alicia Davis. She’s a social worker in Memphis, Tennessee. Davis works at Youth Villages. She discusses how the pandemic made mental illnesses surface, as well as the stigma associated with mental health in the Black community. You’ll also hear some of my story on why mental health is such an important topic to me.
TRANSCRIPTION:
MAYA SMITH: Hi and welcome to Black Brains Matter, conversations about mental health in the Black community. I’m your host Maya Smith and I’m glad you’re here.
ALICIA DAVIS: People just lost their normal way of life and so with that comes more stress, more mental anguish, and more stresses in their lives that could have a negative effect on their lives and health and especially their mental health.
MAYA SMITH: You just heard from Alicia Davis, a social worker in Memphis Tennessee. Davis works at Youth villages. It’s a nonprofit that helps emotionally and behaviorally troubled children and their families.
MAYA SMITH: Tell me: How do you think the pandemic affecting people’s mental health?
ALICIA DAVIS: You know, I think the pandemic affecting people’s mental health in a negative way in some sense. For example, just the obvious ways that the pandemic was a definite change for everybody. In some sort of way, in some fashion, their lives changed. And I think with that change comes an increase in worry or fear of the unknown. Umm. I think that kind of played into that.
A lot of people lost their jobs. A lot of people lost family members. A lot of people lost their normal way of life. And again, with that comes more stress, more mental anguish, and more stresses in their lives that could have a negative effect on their lives and health and especially their mental health.
Just the sense of being isolated from one another … umm … from their jobs, their families. Just that isolation piece can really be a detriment to people’s health because as human, we are social beings. The lack of that I believe was really hard.
MAYA SMITH: Okay, yeah that makes sense. Can you talk a little bit more about how isolation can affect people?
ALICIA DAVIS: You know, I think it goes into the community piece of us being humans and social creatures. People can view it how they want to. Umm. But I personally believe that we were created to be in community. Just the simple fact of being next to someone or working alongside them. I believe that type of energy and connectedness in some type of way is essential to who we are as humans.
When you don’t have that and you’re alone, that piece is lost, and that piece is forgotten. And so, with that isolation comes more things such as you don’t have people or maybe that person to talk through things or be and outlet. You’re really just left to yourself and to your own thoughts. For some people who are already kind of struggling with their mental health and whose thoughts are not necessarily their friends, just that sense of being along with their thoughts for an extended period of time, day after day, you know, could be hard. Especially when you think about people who might live alone, people who might not be in close community or surroundings with their family, people who might not necessarily have a big family, or just you know any of that stuff. Being too yourself could be kind of hard.
MAYA SMITH: Mhmm, yeah. So, I wanted to switch gears a little bit. I wanted to ask you, as someone who’s a professional, what advice would you give someone who is struggling with their mental health and it might be a new struggle?
ALICIA DAVIS: Yeah, I think the first advice I would give is to seek help. You know, to know that you’re not in it alone and it’s okay to seek professional help. Seeking help from again someone who has education, who has training, who has a license in helping people get through those mental health struggles. I think is the first step. Umm, you know because we’re all gifted in certain ways and people have training, school, experience working through these things that you might not necessarily have. And that’s okay. So, I say seeking help and getting that clarity because if you don’t have that background, it could be kind of hard to understand, to kind of process what you’re feeling, why you’re feeling that way. It can be overwhelming to try to handle that on your own. With that help comes better understanding and clarity and understanding. Just a way to help you figure out what steps you need to take to live healthy and successfully.
MAYA SMITH: Yeah, okay. So, a lot of times in the Black community, umm, people dismiss or umm, question how real mental illnesses how real mental illnesses can be. Umm, you know, I’ve heard people say pray it away or you just need to do this or do that. What would you say to those people who maybe feel ashamed because that’s how they’ve been raised?
ALICIA DAVIS: Yeah, I definitely can agree with that. To those people who have heard that, who you have lived with that, first off, I would say there’s no reason to feel ashamed. You know, there’s no reason to shy away from seeking help or acknowledging that your mental health might not be where you want it to be. I think that is such a complex topic around particular communities and why they feel a certain way about mental health. And I would say to the person who might be in that situation to again, understand and be accepting of how they view it and not let other people’s ideas or opinions kind of stray them away from seeking that help.
MAYA SMITH: Yeah, I’m always one to believe that people shouldn’t be ashamed to talk about the things they are struggling with because it’s their reality. So, what are some tips you would give someone who maybe wants to open up to someone they trust about how they’re feeling. How should they go about that conversation?
ALICIA DAVIS: I think it looks different for everybody. But I would say if they have identified a person who’s a friend or family member or a colleague that they trust, to just go for it and really express yourself. I think nine times out of ten when we shy away from seeking help, it’s not necessarily we know for a fact that someone will say something negative to us or might not be receptive. I think a lot of times it’s our own thoughts and emotions about it, that hinder us. Or the fear of what people might think of them. It’s been my experience, especially with the younger generation that more likely than not there will be somebody there to support you and help you seek that help and even may be able to share some of the same struggles that they’re having. I think just being bold and having the confidence to do that is a great first step.
I would also say if you still feel like a little hesitant, you might want to reach out to someone who you might not know. That might sometimes be easier to reach out to a counselor for the first time and just go through that with them. Just say ‘hey this is how I’m feeling’ and they might be able to help you. Sometimes I feel like it might be a little easier and a lot less pressure, when you’re again going to somebody that’s a professional, but might not know you from a person down the street, but still can provide you with a listening ear and give you sound advice on how to handle that.
MAYA SMITH: You are listening to Black Brains Matter, where we have conversations about all things mental health in the Black community.
MAYA SMITH The topic of mental health is one that’s really close to my heart. Before we hear more from Davis, I wanted to tell you all a bit of my story. I suspected I had depression at age 16, but it wasn’t until the age of 19 when I finally received the help I needed. When I was a freshman in college, I was admitted to a physiatric hospital for the first time. Though a low point in my life, it was a turning point that led me closer to getting the care I needed. Which takes me to takeaway one of three.
If you suspect you are struggling from depression or anxiety or another mental illness, don’t let it go unchecked. These are real medical conditions that require treatment. They likely will not go away on their own. The sooner you get the treatment you need, the further along you are on your journey of healing.
Point number two: You are not alone. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 17.3 million adults in the United States have had at least one episode of major depression. When we leave the shame behind and freely talk about our mental health struggles it opens the door to encourage and be encouraged by others who are in the same boat.
Finally point number three: be patient. The healing journey is long and ongoing. I am still battling with depression 10 years, five physiatric hospital visits, three therapists, and countless different meds later. I have come to terms with the fact that I may struggle with this for the rest of my life. But I try to take it one day at a time and make one life-giving decision at a time. I am not without hope and I encourage you to hold onto your hope too.
So, in sum, reach out for help, remember you aren’t alone, and be patient in your healing.
MAYA SMITH: So, when we talked earlier, you mentioned that you’ve struggled with some anxiety yourself. Can you tell me a little bit about that and how you’ve overcome that?
ALICIA DAVIS: Yeah, so definitely, definitely struggle with anxiety. And you know, when you say overcome that’s a weird word because I don’t know if I’ve ever overcame that. But I don’t even know if I will ever overcome it in the sense of not deal with it in my life. But through seeking professional help, and talking to others, I’ve identified ways to kind of live with it and live through it. And so, with that again, seeking a counseling, talking to a counselor regularly and using their tips and advice to you make day to day changes to help me live through it. I think for me it’s more so accepting like hey this is something that I am battling or something that kind of have to walk through. But feeling confident that I can manage my day-to-day with the feelings with the help and guidance I get from others. And you know, just living day by day.
MAYA SMITH: If you are struggling with your mental health or know someone who is, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. Many cities have crisis hotlines that you can call. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. Again, that’s 800-273-8255.
MAYA SMITH: Thanks for listening to Black Brains Matter. Remember: You are strong, you are loved, you are worthy. And you are not alone. Stay healthy and safe friends and I’ll see you next month.
SHOW NOTES:
Alicia Davis, Social Worker adavis@youthvillages.com.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline– 800-273-8255.