Black people deal with mental health issues the same as anyone else, but the roots of their psychological challenges run deeper than those of other communities.
Despite the progress that’s been made and the positive direction society is going in, systemic racism is still a deep-seated problem that all Black individuals have to live with. As a result, their needs and required approaches to mental health care are unique.
At a Glance
Black mental wealth is about helping Black people center their mental health journey and prioritize their emotional needs, which can’t be overlooked when it comes to overall health and well-being in the Black community.
On Black Mental Wealth
But what exactly is Black mental wealth, and how does it differ from Black mental health more broadly?
“One of the biggest things, I would say, is humanizing blackness and allowing individuals to be present in the space in the way that they choose to be present. I feel like the opposite of Black mental wealth is rooted in white supremacy and dehumanization, so I think anything that has to do with Black mental wealth goes to counteract that,” says Raquel Martin, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist.
Black mental wealth is anything that humanizes the Black experience and allows us to be present without needing to shrink.
Martin explains that mental health is under the broader umbrella of well-being, and in terms of mental wealth, it expands to services, community care, holistic care, therapy, and even being comfortable and confident about wearing your hair however you want to.
“Black mental wealth is anything that humanizes the Black experience and allows us to be present without needing to shrink,” says Martin.
“I am a licensed clinical psychologist, but I identify as a liberation psychologist, and that means that it’s not only my job to talk about the intricacies of what’s happening to you internally, it’s also my job to work with you to be an agent of change within your community.”
On the Unique Issues Surrounding Black Mental Health
There may be a unified consensus within the psychological community about most mental health conditions and how patients or age groups experience them, but when it comes to people of color, we have to think about it differently.
“Black mental health is not the same as mental health for any other culture or ethnicity because our mental health, our well-being, our existence is inextricably linked to society and the way that we are treated,” says Martin.
Black people are one of the most oppressed, dehumanized, and adultified groups in history. This systemic racism and prejudice is embedded in the experience of being a Black person, and mental health care providers need to understand this.
“Then we can’t in any way think that depression, as a result of racial battle fatigue for a Black woman is gonna be the same as depression as a result of European American gender norms, right? There’s no way to think that it would be the same because we don’t get treated the same,” says Martin.
Martin shares an anecdote about being pregnant at the same time as a colleague and sharing not only the excitement but also the fear of having a Black child that only a Black parent can understand. “She had never thought of anything other than joy because she’s a European American woman…she automatically understands that the world is meant to center and protect her child and she was having a boy. So, that child’s voice will always matter,” Martin says.
On Navigating Discomfort Around Issues of Race and Injustice
These conversations really matter, but they also make people uncomfortable. But critically put, “people have to realize that being uncomfortable is not the same as being unsafe,” says Minaa B., a licensed social worker, mental health educator, and author of Owning Our Struggles.
“I think feeling unsafe is why a lot of people have these knee-jerk reactions, specifically White people, that they don’t even realize is rooted in them now being able to weaponize their race to bring harm to the Black body because you simply feel uncomfortable and don’t know how to regulate your own uncomfortable emotions,” she says.
If you’re a non-Black person, it’s well worth educating yourself and letting yourself be uncomfortable so you can learn to regulate your internal responses to these complicated issues.
“Discomfort has always been a part of the Black experience, and the more awareness there is of this discomfort and lack of safety for Black people, the more the burden might be eased,” says Martin.
Black mental wealth is all about decentering the white mental health narrative. Martin emphasizes that even when White people say they can relate to her teachings, she reminds them that the conversation isn’t about them. The point is to cause a little discomfort by bringing awareness to their privilege.
People have to realize that being uncomfortable is not the same as being unsafe.
“If you want the Black culture, if you wanna talk about something that is embodied in every single Black person, I want you to think of fear,” says Martin. “Don’t think about our music, don’t think about our hair, don’t think about the effortless drip that is, you know, just amazing. I want you to think about fear.”
On Why Community Care Matters
Naturally, as one of the central themes of this season of the podcast, Minaa delves into the subject of community care and how it pertains to the overall subject of Black mental wealth.
Martin discusses the significance of chosen family and the importance of finding and surrounding yourself with people you feel safe and at home with.
“When I think of community care, I always talk about the aspect that family of origin and family of choice are the same thing in my mind, and there are a lot of people that I work with that were not blessed with the family that they deserve,” says Martin.
“So I always say, ‘Build the family that you deserve. Family of origin and family of choice are the same thing.’ My mom has one sister. I call about 10 people auntie…that’s the community that she also built around herself. Therapy is helpful. But I feel as though community care is actually more integral and it doesn’t only have to be communities that you’re around.”
Online Communities Count, Too
Digital communities are also super helpful and truly have their place in the context of community care. “Facebook, you know, back in the day, before there was TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat? Facebook was actually the community-building app,” says Martin.
She goes on to share that many of her patients who move to an area where there doesn’t seem to be a lot of people who look like them have had luck finding Black Facebook groups in that city, and it’s really helped them settle into their new community.
Martin explains that being around people who look like you, normalizing your experience, and not making you feel like it’s in your head is incredibly helpful. “It’s so isolating when you hear something racist and you wanna look at the person next to you, to a Black person next to you and be like, ‘Yo, was that racist?’ But there’s no one next to you, so you just think you done lost your mind.”
Your Environment and Your Mental Health
As their conversation goes on, Martin expands on the discussion of community and talks about the impact that one’s environment in general can have on mental health.
“Irritability is a very common sign of depression or when something is wrong…One of my students in particular, she mentioned that being irritable is her personality and I said, oh, that’s not true..when you feel as though you’re irritated all the time, when you feel as though you’re angry all the time, something is wrong and the reason why you may think this is your personality is because the thing that is wrong may be environmental.”
You need community. We’re not supposed to be in isolation. There was a reason why that was one of the main tools of the oppressors to separate us.
Martin notes that it can be “your parents or your cousins who you live with who disparage and invalidate you every single day…. It’s why most of my students can not stand Christmas and Thanksgiving break. They have to go back to that space that is awful for them, and they don’t really have a choice.”
She encourages her patients to notice what places give them energy and don’t drain them. What places don’t exhaust them? Those are the places they should be and seek community within.
“Pay attention to the people where you feel like you get to be more genuine around yourself. Can you increase the likelihood of being around those people? You need community. We’re not supposed to be in isolation. There was a reason why that was one of the main tools of the oppressors to separate us.”
