Black Male Mental Health, Depression and Toxic Masculinity

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“The body needs to keep score of these traumatic events to protect itself. But unfortunately, this can cause anxiety. This can cause depression. This can cause substance abuse,” explains Dr. Jody Joshua Adewale. Dr. Jody is a clinical psychologist with his own practice and also a professor at East Los Angeles College. Today, Dr. Jody joins host D-Rich to talk about Black male mental health, depression, and toxic masculinity. Later, they are joined by Charles Couch and Corbin Coleman who are the creators of the documentary, I’m Good Bro: Unmasking Black Male Depression.

Historically organizations have used medical experimentation abuse in the Black community. This has caused an understandable distrust of authority figures and a tendency to shy away from seeking resources for mental health. Thankfully, things have begun to shift positively as more Black celebrities come forward about their own mental health struggles. Black men have started to be more in tune with their feelings and are beginning to seek support, however, there is still a stigma against vulnerability that needs to be addressed. It can be really helpful to come at mental health from a liberation framework because that takes into account the marginalization, structural discrimination, and other environmental factors that are ultimately the cause of the mental health issues.

It is important for Black men to be allowed to be vulnerable without judgment. They need to know it is safe to seek resources and to ask for help. Many of the mental health struggles that are faced by the Black community are caused by external factors, and that is a piece that unfortunately medicine tends to overlook. By learning how to be more in tune with their feelings and understanding that vulnerability can actually be a strength, Black men can heal from trauma and move on from toxic masculinity.

Quotes

• “I think there's becoming a wave or a shift in thinking where black men and black women are starting to see mental health as a resource as opposed to something to run away from.” (16:09-16:19 | Dr. Jody)

• “Individuals and organizations have used mental health as a way of exerting power and authority over the black community.” (16:47-16:54 | Dr. Jody)

• “With these celebrities coming out and speaking about their mental health challenges, it's giving some people permission to do the same.” (18:18-18:24 | Dr. Jody)

• “Mental health and medicine really fail to consider the social part of it, the environmental factors that are pulling this out.” (20:52-20:59 | Dr. Jody)

• “The body needs to keep score of these traumatic events to protect itself. But unfortunately, this can cause anxiety. This can cause depression. This can cause substance abuse.” (24:07-24:17 | Dr. Jody)

• “As soon as you say mental health, or mental illness, especially in the Black community, you’re labeled crazy. When everybody has mental health, just like everybody has digestive health, or respiratory health, your mind is a part of your being.” (52:17-52:38 | Charles)

• “Vulnerability has been stigmatized as a weakness in the black community when actually being vulnerable is a strength, because basically you're exposing yourself. And a lot of times, black men don't have that privilege just to be human and say, look, things are not good.” (59:26-59:47 | Charles)

Links

Connect with Dr. Jody Joshua Adewale, PsyD, MA:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dr_jodyadewale?lang=en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oluyumi/

Books

Absent Fathers: Understanding Perceptions Adult Males have of their Absent Fathers: https://www.amazon.com/Absent-Fathers-Understanding-Perceptions-Adult/dp/1499246277/

Children's Book: Who Can Curly Trust : https://www.amazon.com/Who-Curly-Trust-Jody-Adewale/dp/1507510462

Connect with Charles Crouch and Corbin Coleman of 4C Visuals Group:

Website: https://linktr.ee/4CVisualsGroup

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4cvisualsgroup

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/4cvisualsgroup/

Documentary: "I'm Good Bro"

Part 1 - Unmasking Black Male Depression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_iCaM84HUg&t=32s

Part 2 - The Year 2020 & Mental Health: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYfa7D3415k&t=6s

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