WHY DO COLLEGE STUDENTS DENY THEMSELVES MENTAL HEALTHCARE?
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Posted By: agnes levine on September 22, 2008 Out of the millions of people in America who suffer from some form of a brain disorder such as Bipolar, Schizophrenia, Depression, PTSD, Anxiety Disorders, Eating Disorders, etc., African-Americans are the least likely to seek treatment! This results in over hundreds of thousands of African-Americans committing suicide or having a debilitating lifestyle including unemployment, poverty, and the use of alcohol and drugs to mask an inner problem; mental illness. Most cases of onset of a mental illness will occur during the 20's age!!! According to David Satcher, M.D., the former U.S. Surgeon General, and studies conducted by the National Mental Health Association, one of the main reasons that African-Americans do not seek mental health treatment is the lack of trust in the healthcare system in America. In the African-American culture, healthcare professionals are widely regarded as people not to be completely trusted. Researchers at NMHA suggest that experiments such as the Tuskeegee Syphilis Experiment had harsh and ever-lasting affects on the black community. It is believed that the Tuskeegee Syphilis Experiment became a major cultural and generational reason to be distrustful of all healthcare professionals and particularly medications. This can also be responsible for the lack of willingness by African-Americans to educate themselves about diseases and disorders. African-Americans too easily “believe” their problems are due to just having “bad blood” as if it is acceptable or normal to feel bad all the time. In addition, African-Americans routinely will self-medicate with drugs and alcohol rather than seek mental health professionals for persistent mental health problems. Parents do not educate their children about mental illnesses so the pattern of "feeling bad" passes on to each generation. With the reports about our community denying ourselves mental healthcare, I want to know why? Do African-American college students feel they are too young for mental healthcare, therefore, immune from the affects of a brain disorder? Do African-American college students distrust mental healthcare providers? Today, I wish we would think about how we harm ourselves, families, and communities by living with an untreated mental illnesses. Agnes ~ Too Wise Not To Praise Him! Author of "Cooling Well Water: A Collection of Work By An African-American Bipolar Woman" ISBN 0975461206 Winter Release Pending - www.myspace.com/coolingwellwater If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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agnes levine
Part-Time Teacher, Baltimore County Public Schools Member Since August 2008 |
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