I was visiting a friend I had not seen for a while. I asked her where was she and she told me she was getting better. I had no idea she was sick. That’s when she told me she was diagnosed as Bipolar.
She shared with me how many times she felt alone and wanted to end it. She told me school was especially hard. She said her parents had no idea how to handle her when she called it “Turned all the way up.” After one of her suicide attempts she was diagnosed bipolar. All I could think of is how many times I judged her myself. I wondered what was wrong with her. She could be fine then change the next day. You just never knew. That’s when I did some research and found out so many teens in our community are living with mental illness undiagnosed and that needs to change. Only 1 in 3 African-Americans who need mental health care get it. Just think how many people we know in our own circles or families that might need help.
This blog is for that purpose we need to start the conversation and encourage healing. One of the things my friend told me stuck in my head. She was afraid her teachers and friends would treat her different. She would be ostracized, labeled crazy.
Just think about how often boys are told to never show emotion. If they do it’s looked at as a sign of weakness, therefore, many of them refuse to discuss or even acknowledge their mental state. This is killing (us), literally. Suicide among African-American preteens and teens age 10-14 is up 233 percent over the past 15 years. Keep in mind; suicide among African Americans in general is 60 percent less likely to occur than it is for whites. But any death that did not have to happen is too many.
Let’s take mental illnesses and mix it with school, hormones and you have a huge problem if left untreated. While the rate of bipolar disorder is the same among African American teens as it is among other American teens, African American teens are less likely to receive a diagnosis and, therefore, treatment for this illness. Even with proper diagnosis, no teenager wants to be labeled crazy so many choose to ignore treatment and self-medicate in the form of getting high alcohol and non-prescribed drugs.
Some symptoms to look for if you think you may be Bipolar. Suicidal Thoughts: Depressive individuals with bipolar disorder will often feel sad and depressed. In extreme cases, they will develop suicidal thoughts and act in a suicidal manner. Individuals experiencing other symptoms on the list, along with chronic pain with no known cause, may be suffering from bipolar disorder.
Fatigue: Wanting to go to bed, staying in bed late and a lack of motivation throughout the day are all signs of bipolar disorder.
Manic: When a person is experiencing a manic episode they will often have extremely high levels of energy. A manic episode will present symptoms of euphoria in patients. Sufferers experience a heightened level of happiness and a sense of accomplishment. To help relieve the energy, sufferers often turn to physical activity. Irritation and agitation are common in both manic and depressive episodes. Sufferers are easily irritated by situations they normally wouldn’t be agitated with. Racing thoughts are a common manic bipolar symptom. Individuals will have a difficult time focusing on one thing, and will tend to over analyze their thoughts.
We as a community need to encourage young people battling mental illness. Help them to seek professional help. Let’s get rid of stigma associated with those under doctors. In fact, we should applaud them for getting the help they need. If we all are going to become healthy we should begin with mind body and soul.
