The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
6C— Fall 2018 

Mental illness is something 
hardly talked about in our 
country. 
Though 
mental 
illnesses 
like 
depression, 
anxiety, and bipolar disorder 
are extremely common and 
are extremely pressing issues, 
for some reason, discussion 
of them always seems to get 
swept under the rug. Mental 
illness plays a role in as high as 
90 percent of suicides amongst 
some 
professionals, 
though 
this statistic is often times 
debated, there is no denying 
that mental health directly 
correlates to mortality rates. 
These studies are extremely 
concerning, considering the 
increasing suicide rates in our 
nation. Mental health should 
be something we are always 
talking about — we shouldn’t 
have to wait until the latest 
suicide, whether it be someone 
you know or a celebrity.
As little as mental health is 
talked about in America, it’s 
discussed even less among 
people of color. Having a 
mental illness is stigmatized 
in communities of color, as 
something that makes you 
weak, something you should 
be ashamed of and should 
not talk about. Even though 
the reality of the world is 
that a lot of times, people of 
color are more likely to have 
mental health issues, probably 
because 
the 
discrimination 
and oppression they face on 
a daily basis have adverse 
effects on their mentality. For 
example, 
African 
American 
adults are 20 percent more 
likely to experience mental 
health issues than the rest of 
the population.
One 
reason 
why 
mental 
illnesses are so prevalent in 

communities of color is that 
self-care, something that can 
really help to prevent mental 
issues, is seen as a luxury and 
not a necessity. In one of my 
classes during the school year 
that was made up solely of 
students of color, we discussed 
the 
stigmas 
associated 
with self-care options such 
as therapy or yoga. Many 
students recounted how in 
their 
communities, 
things 
like those were described as 
“things for white people,” or 
luxuries versus necessities to 
help your mental health. We 
also discussed how in all of 
our respective communities, 
things like therapy were seen 
as taboo and something not to 
be discussed and to be swept 
under the rug, that it was 
embarrassing to have an issue 
requiring 
professional 
help 
and if you did you just should 
not talk about it.
The 
lack 
of 
discussion 
about mental health leads to 
multiple issues, as it seriously 
invalidates 
the 
experiences 
of those who do have mental 
health 
problems. 
This 
is 
because it makes them feel as 
if there’s something seriously 
wrong with them or that 
they’re inferior to the rest of 
their community. In reality, 
multiple 
people 
in 
their 
community 
are 
struggling 
with the same issues but are 
uncomfortable with bringing it 
up because of the stigma. This 
adds to the stigma because no 
one talks about it, creating a 
cycle.
I 
know 
one 
of 
the 
subconscious reasons I have felt 
othered as a Nigerian woman 
and a Black woman is due to 
the fact that I have depression 
and anxiety. Having a mental 
illness is never discussed in 
the circles and communities 

I’m in, both of Black people, 
and of Nigerian people. People 
just always talked about how 
when you face struggles and 
have 
problems, 
you 
were 
supposed to toughen up and 
work through it, making it 
seem so simple. Like all of 
my problems could be solved 
with easy fixes and if I was 
having issues, I must be doing 
something wrong.
I know from talking to 
my parents and cousins that 
mental illnesses “aren’t really 
a thing” in Nigeria. There, 
nobody talks about them and 
they’re never diagnosed. I can 
only imagine what it would 
be like to live with a mental 
illness there. Someone who 
has depression would just be 
considered prone to periods 
of sad moods and someone 
who has anxiety would just be 
considered a big worrier. Your 
illness would stop being just 
an illness and would begin to 
define who you are.
This is something that really 
concerns me because people 
all over the world have mental 
illnesses and simply avoiding 
the conversation does not make 
them go away. In fact, it makes 
them get worse, as it prevents 
people 
from 
seeking 
and 
receiving the treatment they 
need. Additionally, it prevents 
people from prioritizing their 
mental health, even though 
it’s just as important as one’s 
physical health.
It’s really frightening to 
know how little people of color 
and people, in general, discuss 
mental health, even though it’s 
2018 and the negative effects 
of this lack of discussion are 
multiplying. I’m just hoping it 
won’t take too many more wake 
up calls for people to realize 
we need to do something and 
fix this.

Mental health in 
communities of color

EFE OSAGIE
MiC Assistant Editor