There needs to be a mental health awareness for the African American Community. I hate being judged. I am no different bipolar than I am being a queer. I’m still Domenia Dickey! Geesh! I take meds, they work, they allow me to have a healthy life and a stable life. It’s no different then medication for high blood pressure.

Almost everyone I know takes meds even my grandma, and no one says otherwise. But when I take my meds it’s a problem and I need to “pray” it away.

There is no shame in taking them, it doesn’t make me less of a person. Why is the black community afraid to acknowledge the importance of mental health. Parents will not permit their children to see a therapist, my family used to hide my meds from me.

Every time I take my meds, they say “you don’t need them, it’s in your head.” True, it is in my head which is why I take them.

I get so annoyed with the black community because I feel as though they support ignorance; and because of that the old and young are perishing. Every time I see a black man, homeless, with schizophrenia; I am compelled to think about the help he could have received when he was younger, but his family just said “no.”

The black community picks and chooses what they will and will not accept. We can accept our boys wearing their pants to their knees, teen pregnancy, lack of college education, and entitlement attitudes; but we can not accept that bipolar, anxiety, depression, ocd, adhd, mood disorders, eating disorders and much more effects the black community. We are not exempt! By living in denial we are only hurting our community and our youth and young adults.