Mental Health and the Black Community (2/2)

Memphis radio personality James Davis hosted a short-lived talk show in the fall of 2007 called the "Think Tank." The "Think Tank" featured interviews and information about relevant issues in Memphis and the surrounding community.

On Saturday, November 17, 2007, Mr. Davis and the late Representative Gary Rowe discussed the importance of mental health care in the Black community. Rowe had pending legislation (House Bill No. 2061) in the Tennessee General Assembly to start a pilot program for mental health care. The major goals of the program were to:

1. Provide information to the African-American community to improve understandings of mental illness, stigma and treatment options;

2. Partner with local African-American pastors to 'get the message out';

3. Supervise provision of counseling and other support services in black churches;

4. Employ and train indigenous 'community navigators' to conduct outreach efforts;

5. Implement pilot projects to integrate primary care and behavioral health services;

6. Improve the care continuum for high-risk youth in the city school system operating in such county; and

7. Provide linkages to the county juvenile and criminal justice systems.

Rowe cited statistics from the Office of the Surgeon General—which reported a 233 percent increase in the suicide rate for Blacks ages 10 to 14 over the past two decades—as a major reason for sponsoring the legislation. He noted how treatment for mental illness is a stigma in the Black community, and most Black families deal with depression and stress by NOT dealing with it.

No one can "pull themselves up from their bootstraps" if their boots are falling apart from the inside. Throwing money at a problem isn't a solution when we fail to address the problem. It is time to start treating the cause of problems rather than the result. At the root of most social ills—from crime and substance abuse to abortion and dysfunctional families—there is usually an untreated mental illness.

Tragically, a few months after this interview, Rep. Rowe passed away after a brief battle with cancer. Budget cuts and his absence led to the ultimate demise of his legislation. Hopefully, someone will someday take up this cause again in his memory. Mental health is an important issue for EVERYONE, regardless of race.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Suicide
• Depression
• Stress
• Mental
• Illness
• WDIA
• WLRM
• Gary
• Rowe
• Memphis
• African-American
• Black
• Psychology
• psychologist
• psychiatrist
• health
• marriage
• divorce
• minority
• ADD
• family
• families
• self-help