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An unapologetic exploration of the Black mental health crisis-and a comprehensive road map to getting the care you deserve in an unequal system. We can't deny it any longer: there is a Black mental health crisis in our world today. Black people die at disproportionately high rates due to chronic illness, suffer from poverty, under-education, and the effects of racism. This book is an exploration of Black mental health in today's world, the forces that have undermined mental health progress for African Americans, and what needs to happen for African Americans to heal psychological distress, find community, and undo years of stigma and marginalization in order to access effective mental health care. In The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health, psychologist and African American mental health expert Rheeda Walker offers important information on the mental health crisis in the Black community, how to combat stigma, spot potential mental illness, how to practice emotional wellness, and how to get the best care possible in system steeped in racial bias. This breakthrough book will help you: - Recognize mental and emotional health problems - Understand the myriad ways in which these problems impact overall health and quality of life and relationships - Develop psychological tools to neutralize ongoing stressors and live more fully - Navigate a mental health care system that is unequal It's past time to take Black mental health seriously. Whether you suffer yourself, have a loved one who needs help, or are a mental health professional working with the Black community, this book is an essential and much-needed resource. There is an unaddressed Black mental health crisis in our world today. In The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health, psychologist Reeda Walker offers a comprehensive guide to help African Americans combat stigma, increase awareness around mental illness, practice emotional wellness, and get the best care possible for Black people in an unequal system.… (more)
User reviews
The author explains that she did a Ph.D. in psychology because she wanted to challenge the privileged assumption that depression in Black people looks the same as in white people.
Throughout the book, she gives scenarios to illustrate the concepts covered. These are all explicitly tied into Black culture and the things that Black people are faced with. The notion of improving psychological fortitude underpins the various topics covered.
Early on, the book addresses the issue of suicide. Walker acknowledges that it’s a common belief among Black pastors that suicide is a white people issue, and Black people are seen as being too resilient for suicide.
Racism and its effects come up often throughout the book. Walker gives suggestions on how how to distinguish between disordered anxiety and the very real worries that Black people face because of racism and situations like the killing of Trayvon Martin.
The author argues that assimilation won’t help, and can lead to the internalization of racist ideas. Her research has shown than Black people who don’t view their own Blackness in a positive light are at a higher risk for suicide.
She suggests that psychological fortitude benefits the most from increasing connectedness with Black culture. She encourages embracing natural hair and African American Vernacular English (you may be more familiar with the term Ebonics) as examples to promote reconnection.
There’s a chapter devoted to faith, and the benefits in terms of both spirituality and connection to culture and community. The author makes it clear that talking to a pastor isn’t mental health care, and while you would pray to the Lord, “sometimes God sends a psychologist.”
The book offers suggestions for supporting your child’s mental health and your own wellbeing as a parent. There’s a chapter on therapy that covers how to access it, common misconceptions, and what therapy actually looks like. The author also covers some CBT-based coping tools.
While I can’t directly speak to how well this book will connect with target audiences, I thought it was very well written and delivered an important message. I would definitely recommend it.