People who have lived with bipolar depression and anxiety will tell you that dealing with a mental illness in any “normal” situation is not easy. Often, they are taking several different medications. Some therapies are successful, and some have failed. People diagnosed with mental illness often switch therapists because after a while they feel that they are not getting better or not getting the help that they need. So, for them it has been a struggle to find healing even before this Pandemic.
Black people have been forced to deal with two pandemics at the same time: COVID-19 and Racial Injustice. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected people of color due to legal, social, and economic inequities. COVID-19 has forced people into teleworking, ordering groceries online, driving less, doing telehealth, and ordering medications from home. Some have also developed a phobia of leaving home. They get panic attacks over ordinary tasks like when they must go outside to check the mail, so may resort to only checking every other week, and may take antianxiety medication before going outside! Many of them do not like driving long distances either, but when they do plan to drive, they find it easier to do it in the morning. Some have even developed a fear of losing their jobs and worry that unemployment will not be sufficient. To combat all these negative thoughts, it helps to do self-guided meditations, journal writing, deep breathing, listening to music and art therapy. Art therapy has really been the game changer for many in terms of getting to a place of healing by tapping into their sense of creativity. With everything going on in the world, it’s good to create a place of Zen.
Unfortunately, living Black in America does not allow you to have peace. It’s sad that in 2020, America finally woke up to racial injustice and the countless Black lives lost due to police brutality. We had Black Lives Matter (BLM) marches with police in full force. Finally, people woke up and voted! But the Insurrection at the Capitol let us know that there is an abuse of power and that change is well overdue. It was completely disturbing to see what transpired at the Capitol. The entire world watched the American riot where police where not in full force like at the BLM marches. We could not even celebrate the election victory of Senators Warnock and Ossoff in the Georgia runoffs the night before.
If you look at some of the stereotypes, being Black with a mental illness is a double whammy! Instead of receiving proper treatment, you are more likely to be incarcerated or left homeless. COVID-19 is hitting the Black community the hardest. It is unimaginable what it must be like for Black folk in mental facilities, jails, and homeless shelters.
