Am I crazy: Part 1

I had a whole lot on my mind this morning and I was wondering if I should get counseling to sort things out. I went to counseling after I gave birth. I was stressed and figured talking to an unbiased individual would give me a fresh perspective on my issues. (btw, not all stress the result of something bad: eustress). This reminded me of a recurring thought I have on the issue of mental health treatment in urban communities. I have heard various facts, statistics and/or opinions that say blacks, especially black men, and lower income individuals won't seek mental health treatment. This could be because these and other cultures may have stigmas about seeking professional mental health treatment or for the lack of accessibility. 


When I refer to mental health treatment, I am mostly referring to counseling and, if necessary, some form of drug therapy. If you are financially comfortable, you can usually elect to seek therapy where you can sit down one on one and discuss/work through your issues. Sessions can run you around $100, give or take, for an hour. If you have health insurance, you may meet with a counselor for a limited amount of sessions; ten, give or take. The insurers encourage their providers to prescribe drugs for the patient as the first option because it is cost effective for them (as opposed to paying the therapist $100+ a session for how many ever sessions you need). If you don't have health insurance or a comfortable financial situation, you better not have many issues. There are a few institutions that provide counseling on a scale fee (a rate determined by your income). These are usually heavily booked, but thank God for them anyway. Or you would need to have a drug addiction, serious behavioral problem or been the victim of a violent crime to get medical attention. 


I don't think you have to be at the point of suicide to get help. Sometimes, we may just need to take a walk, read a self help book or change something in our daily routine. Ongoing issues like family mis-communications to complex issues such as addictions may be improved if people sought the services of a professional. These people, the good ones, are trained to suggest a better way of accomplishing a healthier state of mental being. Isn't that we want?


Personally, I think churches should be more equipped to address mental health issues, even if it just to pray for the person and refer them to another appropriate institution for ongoing care. I also think our society laughs at people who walk around talking to themselves but maybe if they got the help they needed before, they would have been able to lead a healthy life now. I don't think that this is another person's problem but it is a concern we should all care about. I may not care if you get a promotion on your job but I should care that you are in your right mind! We should demand that mental health resources be available to under-served communities and especially to try other methods before drugs are prescribed (and the patient dismissed).

We affect each other. Timothy Mcveigh, the Oklahoma city bomber, may not have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Still, don't you think he may have reconsidered his position if he spoke to someone about the action he wanted to take due to his displeasure with the government? What about the Binghampton, NY shooting? He was receiving treatment but stopped and obviously he needed more...


I don't know, guys. Talking to a psychologist will not end all the problems in the world. I just have this notion that if seeking therapy were more accepted, then people would be prone to work on their issues, get the help they need and then be able to remain a healthy part of society. I will update this post when I can present some facts on the issue but share your thoughts and experience with me. Thanks.

How do we safely facilitate the acceptance of the use of mental health professionals? How do we start taking our mental health more serious?