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 Click
here to listen to discussion on "African Americans and Depression."
State
of Mind: America 2003:
Discussion Two: African Americans and Depression
To
discuss the particular barriers facing African Americans with depression,
host Dr. Fred Goodwin is
joined by Dr. Quentin Ted Smith,
clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Morehouse
School of Medicine; and Mrs. Doris
Smith (who is not related to Dr. Smith), co-founder
of the National Organization of People of Color Against Suicide
and immediate past president of SPAN, the Suicide Prevention Action
Network.
Dr. Goodwin begins by asking what things get in the way of African
Americans seeking treatment for mental illness. Dr. Smith answers
that one of the biggest is stigma. He says that sometimes it seems
people would rather have cancer than depression.
Mrs. Smith says that her only son - Mark Alan Smith - died by suicide
at the age of 27. She had no idea he was depressed, even though
at the time he exhibited all the signs that she now knows indicate
depression. She says he was a high-achieving student and musician
- not someone people thought of as depressed, and yet, he became
ill. In her journey to heal, she has learned a lot about depression
and is trying to educate the African-American community so that
others do not have to suffer as her son did.
She agrees with Dr. Smith that often people who have experienced
depression will stay in the closet; they will not seek help. Through
outreach work, she's been trying to teach people that being depressed
doesn't mean you're crazy, it means you have a disease.
Dr. Goodwin asks about the role the church plays. She agrees with
him that churches can be helpful as a source for hope and recovery,
but also can be a barrier to proper treatment. Many people in the
African-American community believe it shows weakness if you do not
rely on your faith for healing. She thinks this has kept a lot of
people from seeking help, since no one wants to be thought of as
weak. Her organization has been going into churches, trying to convince
ministers they need to give sermons on depression and suicide.
Dr. Smith adds that another barrier to proper treatment is a long
history of black patients being misdiagnosed as having schizophrenia
when they actually have mood disorders. Some black patients may
appear anxious or suspicious of doctors. This may come across as
hostility, and the doctor may think the patient is paranoid. In
reality, given the historical precedent, many are just generally
distrustful of doctors and worried about being used as subjects
in experiments. Dr. Smith says educational outreach is necessary
to let people know there are effective treatments for depression,
and they should seek help.
There are also studies showing that young black kids who get in
trouble are more likely than white kids to end up in jail, rather
than in mental health care. Dr. Smith says we must educate people
so they know this is a problem. Mrs. Smith says she believes many
young men have been "diagnosed" as criminals when they
are actually sick people. They have a brain disease, they may use
alcohol and drugs to cover it up, and then they end up in jail rather
than in treatment.
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The Infinite Mind is
supported in part by major underwriting from the John D. and Catherine
T. MacArthur Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health,
and the Nonprofit Finance Fund. Additional underwriting in the form
of unrestricted educational grants from Eli Lilly and Company and
Bristol-Myers Squibb. Major underwriting for State of Mind: America
2003 was provided in the form of an unrestricted educational grant
from Solvay Pharmaceuticals. Additional support was provided by
Tom and Edwina Johnson, The J. B. Fuqua Foundation and the Turner
Foundation.
The
Infinite Mind is non-profit production of Lichtenstein Creative
Media, in association with the New York Foundation for the Arts
and WNYC/FM.
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