“It’s been difficult for me to find the words to what I’m about to share with you…I feel ashamed…Yesterday I checked myself into rehab for depression and suicidal urges.” – Kid Cudi
For those of you who do not know, Kid Cudi is a black hip hop artist, and the above quote comes from a post on his Facebook page on October 4th. While this to some might just seem like a simple sentence, to folks like me, other black males, this is the start of something amazing. What Kid Cudi has done is start a dialogue about black males and mental health. Which, although it isn’t the first time it’s been done, both Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar have talked about their depressions, Kid Cudi has told the world that he is seeking help for what he is going through.
Growing up as a black male, the words depression and mental health were barely spoken. And if they were spoken they were used to address either women, or white people. People of color aren’t traditionally seen as having mental health issues, which is quite absurd. Considering everything that we must deal with, namely racism, discrimination, and other forms of oppression, it would be quite miraculous if we could get through all of this without some sort of effect on us mentally. But what is even more absurd is that people of color, especially black males, are refusing to go get professional help. What I believe this spurs from is that intersectionality between their identities as people of color and men. Men of any race, of any identity are usually socialized into thinking that men aren’t supposed to show any emotion., and when they do show emotions they are only to be that of rage. Emotions such as sadness and happiness are seen as feminine therefore those men that do show these emotions are shunned until they learn to suppress and bottle these emotions up. Combine this, with how within black communities mental illness is seen as a ‘white, feminine thing’, the idea of going to therapy can seem as not only foreign to you but also as something unnecessary. We as black men, are told that we are to power through these emotions and if we are unable to we are weak. We as black men are told that mental illness is something that white people get, that therapy is something that white people do.
This does not address however, another reason that not only black males, but all people of color do not seek out therapy. I believe it hard to talk with someone about how it feels to be surrounded by a foreign culture, by a populace that looks nothing like you, and by a society that appears to be apathetic to you and your people. In simpler terms, I believe it hard to speak with a white therapist about racism and other triggering things that come with being black. Therapy can be a very intimate thing, and when the person you are talking with cannot completely empathize and understand where you are coming from, I believe that that can create tension rather than help for those who seek out therapy. So not only are we, black males, struggling to realize that mental illness is a real thing, and that therapy is a viable thing for us to seek out, we are also struggling to find therapists that we can feel comfortable around and can understand us.
By setting the example, Kid Cudi is helping remove the stigma behind black males and mental illness. By being brave Kid Cudi is showing us that, yes black males do have mental illness, and there isn’t anything wrong with asking for some help. Kid Cudi’s action have begun the social trend #YouGoodMan, which is furthering the dialogue of black men and mental illness. Take the time to not only ask others, but take the time to ask yourself, you good man?
