Neo Soul artist exhibits, Angie Stone song that many black women think about black men’s, when she said: “She was angry questions and you tend to every opportunity to deny your right to wrong.” Because the women in our lives who know us so closely and for us so deeply care can see if we are injured or responding to pain. But Black men are young and old around with anger, pain and stress, is literally sucking the joy in our lives due to high blood pressure, impotence, fatigue, alcoholism and many other physical and emotional symptoms as a result of poor mental health. But many of us stubbornly refuse to help mental health, which are necessary to come to be better people -. Husbands, fathers, friends, or just emotionally ole whole
No, it’s just not “Crazy Uncle Joe” in the back room of your grandma’s house, the desperate need to help mental health, but it is also those brothers who all seem to have together. Are you suffering alone, filling their emotions, or even medical. And those that depend on them and love them dear at risk.
But why, if psychological help is available?
When I sat down with Dr. Verdi Lethermon (Director of the Department of Psychological Services Houston Police Department and owner of Lethermon & Associates), she said that black men do not like getting help for mental health, have since “Black men historically understood to be wrong been misled, and the oppressed. Black men have tried a fine line to be assertive and understood, without being aggressive on foot incline. Black men do not show their weaknesses, because of this. In therapy have to be vulnerable and let their feelings and address that. “
And let feelings out is something that Black men were not taught to do at a very early age. We can all remember what was said, little girl, when she fell down and scraped my knees, “aw baby, come here, it’s gon ‘be alright.” However, the speech was much different than a small boy to the ground and started crying, “stop crying like a little girl, boy, yo get ‘a ** up and walk it off”. And in those moments, little boys were trained adult men who do not express emotions and are afraid to be vulnerable. But Dr. Lethermon believes that negative emotions, because if “they are finally in an uncontrollable way and then we will all pay the price” must be treated.
We know that black men were used as scientific and medical guinea pigs from the slave ship to Tuskegee. And while the truth is, it should not preclude us from needed mental health assistance. Dr. Lethermon says when black men to help with mental illness to refuse, “they tend to return from the pain and stress in their lives, victims and continue to bully”
May now be the right time for black men to mental health help needed! But it takes other black men and black people in general to the stigma about seeing a psychologist and mental health break to share challenges. We should also tell the benefits of our oral tradition of story telling the truth about our mental health. Similarly, we ask for a good barber, we should ask for a good therapist, if we really need.
But how do you know that you need mental help? Dr. Lethermon says that some of the symptoms, if “you do lose control in areas of your life that you normally have under control, or when a person finds her confidence slipping into a dark hole and removing people themselves, property and routines that you used to do. “
And if you ignore the symptoms, trouble is around the corner. “Anger is rising to the surface, because anger is a feeling of security – instead of the real feeling of anxiety, inadequacy, emotional, stressed, overwhelmed, or powerless – and instead of relying on themselves, each other that people fault,” says Leatherman <. br />
Fellas, it’s not okay, hold back the tears or bottle your feelings-your questions are real and the way you are on it real well. Jesus wept, complained job, David sought advice and the O’Jays called together with their wives. So, instead of consulting with brown liquid, with another joint, another woman, or with ESPN -. Maybe it’s time to call a therapist to dissuade these questions
Women can help to support the black men in their lives using the mental health needs. Dr. Leatherman said, mothers, sisters, girlfriends, wives, and “may invite him to therapy or a therapist you look out your love for him to take care of it themselves.” Women have great influence on how a man treats his mental health issues – they can be a lawyer or an obstacle. Leatherman says that “sometimes accidentally suffocated wife of a man bother to respond with his feelings the way women on him when he express his feelings. Sometimes women minimize their feelings or are overwhelmed and do not want to hear it, and sometimes women .. And that can be declared invalid in future vulnerability and willingness to get help, but sometimes (women) are to prevent re-fights I encourage women to take a look at yourself well – is to hurt them or help the man in her life to express his feelings openly. “
So what happens when black men get the mental health needs help? “It’s pretty amazing,” said Dr. Leatherman, “you feel even better and this feeling all the other Waves -. In particular, women and children, they are role models and the heads that should be it is the women and children then. more willing to submit to and follow. “
Jill Scott may have said it best when she said: “We need you!” Black women need us, our children need us, and we need to be completely emotionally stable. But this can not happen if we to false masculinity by fear to be vulnerable and to help mental health, that some of us need so desperately to continue represent. Dr. Leatherman said, that of Black men: “One needs a lot of courage to come to therapy, not everyone wants to do it, but it is one of the best gifts you can give in life.” And the next generations are counting on you. Our race needs help, so help us God. Future generations are counting on black men.
Do you have the courage?
Note: Dr. Leatherman, Verdi is the author of the forthcoming book, When God speaks people listen, they are healed
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