She is Us: #Jas and the Need to Address Mental Health and Black Women

Being a Black Woman is not easy

Forget the #BlackGirlMagic

And references to being #BlackQueens

We just need the space to be allowed to be human

Vulnerable

Flawed

Angry

Within our community and the larger society, we are not provided such

Even our need to not be alone and have companionship is vilified if we do not change our #RelationshipGoals from equal partnership to “Ride or Die/Hold him down”

And we dare not seek love outside of our community, because then we are sellouts, bedwenches, etc.

Even though we are less likely to marry outside of our race than our male counterparts

We find no solace within movement spaces where we are forced to prioritize only portions of ourselves

And even within our community, we hear about Saving our Sons, but not about Standing Up for or Loving our Daughters

Where do we go?

What are our options?

According to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black people are 10 percent more likely to report experiencing serious psychological distress than white people. The Black Women’s Health Imperative asserts Black Women report experiencing anxiety and depression at rates slightly higher than White women. Yet, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health nearly 10% of Black women say they feel like “everything is an effort.” Less than 6% of white women say the same.

The stress inherent in being Black Women is palatable to me.

Today, I heard about the suicide of “This is Us” writer Jas Waters, a Black Woman.

A woman the world would say screams #BlackGirlMagic. Yet this false magic does not protect us from feelings of self-doubt, racial trauma, microaggressions, misogynoir, loneliness, and wondering if it is all worth it. If anything, our Black womanness brings all of those things to our doorstep.

It is important that we have genuine conversations about mental health and Black women. We need to have spaces within our community where we can be vulnerable.

We need to have other Black Women who are in community and support us

We need to admit that mental health concerns are real and that we too, have Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety — -and that professional help is needed to address them

The Black Women’s Health Imperative’s National Health Policy Agenda addresses barriers for us when we do seek support. We know that, if we do reach out, we are more likely to receive poorer quality care and lack of access to culturally-competent services, even if we have the insurance coverage and proximity to such services (which we often do not).

As a black psychologist, I am thinking about Jas today. I am wondering how she could have received the help that she needed. I am wondering about the loneliness, the anxiety, and the depression that were likely exacerbated by living during COVID19 where many times before, those who are struggling with mental health issues can sometimes engage in activities to avoid those downtimes where the emotions take over — -and with Stay-At-Home, we are sometimes left with no escape.

I hate to see Black women die

I hate to see Black women suffer

I hate to see Strong Black Women Syndrome leave us no room to take care of our emotional needs

I hate a world that makes it so hard for Black Women — -that contributes to our anxiety, sadness, and hopelessness

I hate that Black Women do not prioritize their own mental health as much as they prioritize all of the needs of those within their lives

And yet

I love us enough to encourage us all to create those Black Women Safe Spaces

I love us enough to fiercely insist that we all advocate for Culturally-informed mental health services for us

I love us enough to say we do not need to be strong or magical

I love us enough to center us

I love us enough to insist that WE love us enough

And I love us enough to wonder how the conversation about mental health, the destigmatizing mental health, the establishment of realistic expectations for Black women, and our fully embracing therapy can help the next Jas.

Because

She is Us

Dr. Dent is a licensed psychologist. Her hardest job is being a Black Woman who centers the experiences of Black women and girls. Follow her on IG, FB, and Twitter at @DrTyffani