Art Therapy and Black Mental Illness
I.
A shocking percentage of African Americans suffer from some form of mental distress, ranging from undiagnosed and diagnosed severe mental illness to chronic and acute depression or anxiety due to living in America while black. According to Mental Health of America, "Sixteen percent (4.8 million) of Black and African American people reported having a mental illness, and 22.4 percent of those (1.1 million people) reported a serious mental illness over the past year. In 2019 it increased to 2 out of 9 individuals (1.2 million people) reported had a serious mental illness (SAMHSA, 2018, 2019)." Some are unaware they are suffering an illness, while others who may be aware do not search for help. This Capstone will investigate the stigma that comes from internal and external within the black community associated with acknowledging or treating all forms of mental illness. These emotional disorders apply to African Americans.
This Capstone will not only look at how mental illness is viewed in black culture, but it will also look at the culprit and source behind the appalling statistics of black mental illness, namely, the psychological trauma blacks have suffered in America. African Americans have been dealing with abuse and trauma in the United States since the 1700s. From slavery to Jim Crow and redlining to today's tactics, the black community has been subjected to a level of intense, acute emotional, economic, and political damage that leaves no means of escape or resolution. This condition results in self-sabotage because the persons experiencing this relentless trauma often do not understand what is concurring or the origin of their suffering. The lack of awareness by most African Americans of the deep-seeded ongoing conditions that are damaging added to the universal urge to live a fruitful, safe, happy life deserving of all human beings suffocates the black community. Then without the know-how or retreat from internal or external hindrances and stressors, African Americans suffer. The oppositional white race creates such deterrents to awareness and lack of solutions within black congregations where mental illness is still often treated as non-existent or some social taboo. African Americans are mentally trapped with no getaway unless treated for the generational psychological trauma that keeps coming and the failure to acknowledge that trauma is not a traditional mental illness but a reasonable response to historical levels of brutality. Due to their suffering of non-labeled illness and when labeled referred to with invented conditions does not aid the situation. However, there are remedies, and with equal access to these remedies, the black community may begin to serenade the chaos.
Traditional psychology methods will always aid in mental illness, however, combined with art therapy, cognitive treatment is amplified, eliciting results differently.
This Capstone will look at emerging art therapy and how art might be used as a therapeutic tool for African American communities and the treatment and care of mental illness. Art is an un-intimidating universal communication tool making it accessible for all. African Americans can use this form of therapy with fewer barriers to psychological trauma. The act of creation enables individuals to turn their thoughts or feelings into tangible objects outside of the mind. Healing results will develop due to less commotion and confusion, clouding the mind-opening up space for new healthier functions or ideas. The black community can benefit from art therapy by utilizing healing techniques to refine and release the ongoing trauma of living in America while black aiding in their mental wellness.
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