Although not directly tied to COVID-19, many students are feeling intense emotions about the multiple police killings against African Americans that took place this month. The pandemic can exacerbate this issue however, as there is a sense of hopelessness that even as we are staying home and so much of life has been shut down, injustice and tragedy is still such a common occurrence for African Americans. Read on for more information, tips, and resources related to these killings and the mental health complications that come with them.
NOTE: I am not a mental health professional. The purpose of this blog is to educate and to synthesize and centralize credible mental health resources to make these more accessible for students, focusing on specific mental health issues related to the COVID-19. Please talk to a licensed mental health professional and/or doctor about any symptoms, medications, treatments, or otherwise actions related to mental health. Additionally, as a white person, I cannot accurately explain or depict the lives of African Americans. My goal is to use and inspire empathy that might incite change. Here, I am using resources from black people, about black people; but please note I am not an expert in either mental health or the experiences of the PoC. For further discussion, I suggest having conversations with people more versed in these areas.
Most of us are aware of the murder of George Floyd as well as the killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor that happened this month. These are just three of thousands of unjust killings of African Americans in our nation. If you are not aware of the situation, check out this link for summaries of the incidents and national reactions to them, as well as some things you can do to help before reading on: https://www.dosomething.org/us/articles/black-lives-taken
The typical response to these tragedies involves calls for reform and education about the disadvantages PoC face, and rightfully so. One aspect that I believe is not mentioned enough, however, is the impact these events have on the mental health of black Americans. One 2018 study by The Lancet showed that police killings have a significant effect on the mental health of African Americans in the days after the incidents, contributing to approximately 2 additional "poor mental health days" for the black community every year, when compared to white Americans. Across the entire population of adult African Americans, this contributes an estimated 55 million excess poor mental health days annually, which is approximately 151,000 years.
Meanwhile, police killings of unarmed black people had no significant effect on the mental health of white Americans, according to the study. This exemplifies the difficulty some white people have empathizing with the situation of African Americans, but of course does not justify it. This importantly also shows just one major aspect of inequality that the black community faces in America, where police killings do not only take away the lives on innocent individuals but take hundreds of thousands of good days away from the black community as a whole every year. As a result, police killings should be considered a public mental health crisis, and part of the response to these incidents is providing mental health support for African Americans.
Dr. Jamie Freeny, an expert with Mental Health America of Greater Houston, said, "We are already as a community dealing with a level of historical trauma, so adding this kind of trauma to this layer adds complexity to the many mental health issues that we have to face." She said these images can contribute to the development of trauma, anxiety, depression, and PTSD for years following the events. Freeny continued by saying, "It affects how we eat, sleep, exercise, how we work, and how we socialize, so this is kind of reminiscent of post-traumatic stress that certainly occurs after viewing the videos, and also the fact that it's not the first one."
This is one reason some black activists and mental health experts suggest that these shocking videos not be widely posted across the internet. While the videos may help stir outrage for the cause, they can be deeply traumatic and actually cause harm to the black community, as The Lancet study showed. Instead, signs of solidarity and especially links to resources, such as donation sites, petitions, and phone numbers and emails of officials who can incur justice upon the killers are a better use of social media. I will include such resources below. Please take the time to use them.
As a white person who is not a licensed mental health professional, I cannot offer advice myself on how individuals may cope with these injustices. Below, I have included online websites that offer therapy or mental health resources for black individuals, by black individuals. Throughout this time (and for the rest of time), let us use compassion towards others and ourselves. If you are white, please continue to read and educate yourself about the struggles of the black community and do everything in your power to bring about positive change. I have included resources that can help you do this in the second section below. Also, please do not post graphic videos or simple signals of "wokeness." Take action yourself and post things that will incite it from your peers.
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BLACK VIRTUAL THERAPIST NETWORK:
THERAPY FOR BLACK GIRLS: https://therapyforblackgirls.com/
THERAPY FOR BLACK MEN: https://therapyforblackmen.org/
FIND AN AFRICAN AMERICAN THERAPIST (PSYCH TODAY):
AFRICAN AMERICAN MENTAL HEALTH (NAMI): https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Diverse-Communities/African-American-Mental-Health
MENTAL HEALTH APP FOR BLACK COMMUNITY:
BLACK MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES DIRECTORY:
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Below, I have included two great links. They include multiple ways to donate, contact, and petition:
Below, I have an included some links that gives TONS of great material to educate yourself about the lives of black people in America.
MULTIMEDIA LIST:
BOOK LIST FOR WHITE READERS:
LEARNING AND TEACHING:
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REFERENCES:
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