Change Direction fights the mental health stigma in Akron’s Black churches
It’s no secret that the pandemic has been trying for people’s mental health, especially for the Black community. The summer of 2020 prompted the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement after several police killings shocked the nation. The movement even made its way to Kent State that fall when racist sentiments were tagged on a rock facing Main Street.
This event prompted the creation of the university’s anti-racism task force, increased security nearby the rock and increased staffing and hours of operation for the security aide program.
Quote from University
The university has taken steps to mitigate future incidents while referring distressed students to Counseling and Psychological Services. The taskforce’s action steps exclude people outside the university, but there are other resources for Kent residents in need of counseling.
Portage County’s initiatives for POC
The Portage County Mental Health & Recovery Board connects families and individuals with mental health treatment services.
“In August, we started a minority outreach committee to start to really look at what we were doing and what our agencies were doing and how we could better serve the minority communities. Prior to that, we had already hired an outreach worker to serve the King Kennedy Community Center,” said Karyn Kravetz, the board’s associate director.
She said the program is still in its infancy stages and the community center isn’t seeing much traffic because of COVID.
Historical implications behind Black people’s mental health
Stigma and scientific racism are possible reasons why the board’s outreach program hasn’t seen significant results.
The problem traces back to the Antebellum period when white Southerners needed “scientific proof” that Blacks were racially inferior. This prompted the Medical Association of Louisiana to task psychiatrist Samuel Cartwright to research the “diseases and peculiarities of the Negro race.”
This research produced a mental illness called drapetomania – which means the desire to flee from servitude. According to him, drapetomania is a mental disorder akin to social alienation. For treatment, Cartwright relied on Bible passages dealing with slavery.
Cartwright invented another “disorder,” dysaesthesia aethiopica – which explained the perceived laziness among slaves.
The perpetuation of stereotypes and myths plays a significant role in how Black people receive medical treatment.
“If you have a Black person and white person and they have the same symptoms, the Black person will get the most severe diagnoses. So, if you have a black person and a white person who both meet the criteria for bipolar disorder, the white person will be labeled as bipolar. The black person will be labeled as schizophrenia,” said psychology professor Angela Neal-Barnett.
There’s also a negative stigma surrounding mental health issues in the black community.
“Anything related to emotional wellness is seen as crazy. Our spirituality tells us that if we pray a little harder, we won’t need counseling,” said Neal-Barnett.
What other counties are doing
While racism and stigma prevent some Black people from taking the first step to seek mental health care, that doesn’t mean that other communities haven’t been successful in their outreach efforts.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is another organization that serves to improve the quality of life for people with mental illnesses and their families. They provide peer-to-peer and family education and advocacy support groups through its 600 affiliates throughout the country.
NAMI’s Summit County affiliate sits on several committees that serve the black community. Notably, Change Direction – a national community-based movement led by Love Akron and operates among Akron’s Black churches.
“We had a county executive by the name of Russ Pry, and this was going on six years ago now. He got ahold of this Change Direction movement. It’s basically knowing the five signs of emotional struggle. He liked that concept, said Leslie Powlette Stoyer, NAMI Summit County’s Executive Director. “So, because he was the county executor he was able to get groups from every spectrum of the county – down to the business community, the libraries the education community and the different hospitals – in one room to form this faith-based committee, “she said.
Change Direction aims to change the perception of mental health among religious communities. The committee meets monthly to assess how to mental health providers are treating their clients while remaining respectful of their religious beliefs.
Powlette Stoyer mentioned the importance of forming relationships with the city’s hospitals, letting them know that NAMI is a resource available for them.
“Doctors don’t have to spend three hours on the phone with a family because NAMI can help answer those questions. We can’t answer those clinical questions, but we can help educate the family members as to what to expect what the next steps are to know that when their loved one gets out of the hospital,” she said.
Options for Portage County
While Portage County is a county with less government funding than Summit, the county can still replicate some of Summit’s initiatives.
Portage County Mental Health & Recovery Board currently has partnerships with local counseling services, community centers, the university’s college of public health. The board could potentially partner with local doctor’s offices and hospitals to bring people the resources they need on an outpatient basis. If funding is given, Portage County can start its own Change Direction committee in partnership with the area’s churches, mental health organizations and businesses.
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