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OUT OF OUR RIGHT MINDS: Trauma, Depression and the Black Woman (1251 hits)

Although an alarming number of African Americans in particular women suffer from depression, bipolar disorder and a myriad of clinically specific mental conditions, this film seeks to connect the state of mental health amongst women of color to the lingering effects of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome and a trauma experience that has been passed on from one generation to the next.

Women and men from all walks of life speak openly and candidly about depression, mental illness, anxiety, self-esteem, and the need to address a topic that continues to be taboo in the African American community.

"I find that there's a shadow, a cloud of sadness amongst women of color, from all walks of life," says Stacey Muhammad of Wildseed Films. She continues, "It's time to have this discussion. My commitment is to not only explore our behavior but to also examine the environment in which we've been embedded for more than 400 years and to encourage us to begin to examine what this environment has done and continues to do to people of color."

Published on May 28, 2012

http://www.staceymuhammad.com/ A riveting documentary by the incomparable Stacey Muhammad. A Must See!!!

Posted By: Jen Fad
Sunday, August 11th 2013 at 4:52PM
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...'Directed by award winning Independent Filmmaker / documentarian Stacey Muhammad, a native of New Orleans, LA, this film explores depression and the overall feeling of sadness that plagues many black women in this society of all ages, social and economic backgrounds.

Statistics regarding depression in African American women are either
non-existent or uncertain. Part of this confusion is because past published clinical research on depression in African-American women has been scarce.

This scarcity is, in part, due to the fact that African-American women may not seek treatment for their depression, may be misdiagnosed, or may withdraw from treatment because their ethnic, cultural and / or gender needs have not been met."...

My people knowledge is power. Jen Fad

Sunday, August 11th 2013 at 4:57PM
Jen Fad

@Jen

Beautiful breakdown and the part about post-traumatic slave syndrome drives the negative symptoms that many of our people experience daily and thoughts, reactions, and behavior patterns are "REAL' I da field too!!
Sunday, August 11th 2013 at 5:38PM
Yaiqab Saint

Saint,

So true! I was listening at a particular point at about 17:25 where the lady was saying, "that's what White folk do, Black folk don't do that". That's a falacy in our thought to make ourselves feel good. We're all human beings and we aren't exempt from this.

Sunday, August 11th 2013 at 6:47PM
Jen Fad

@ Jen

Look .... Saint has often stated that "OUR" people are 'rebellious' and 'stiff-necked' and they are the root cause of their own suffering despite the other nations running game on them.

Well... the 2/3rds are finished... so in my opinion they don't count...

See you in the " Righteous Kingdom' for the 2/3rds!!!!!

Sunday, August 11th 2013 at 7:00PM
Yaiqab Saint

Saint,

I think for us unlike the people who's ancestors were suffers of the Holocaust, there has been a type of acknowledgement that came with it and empathy for the victims; the perpertrators of the Crimes are still being brought to justice. However in the case of our ancestors, no one has been brought to justice for slavery. There has just been a bandaide of sorts that was placed on an open wound that really wasn't/hasn't healed.

It's difficult for generations of people to get over such a horrific event perpertrated against one's ancestors when the only thing received were little slap on bandaides here and there along the way. People still feel cheated and have the bitter tastes of injustices. We want justice for our ancestors.

Although, I would imagine its much worst for Native Americans, but many of them are well hidden away on their reservations. What was done to them is such a miscarriage of justice!

Sunday, August 11th 2013 at 7:50PM
Jen Fad

@Jen

All of this for told in the scriptures regarding the Southern Kingdom (so-called black americans, so-called west Indians, so-called Haitians) and the Northern Kingdom (so-called native Americas Indians, and the Latino tribes).......

This is the last captivity for the "Children of Israel". Some will come out of it and others won't.
The 2/3rds are not coming out of it PERIOD!!!!
Sunday, August 11th 2013 at 9:12PM
Yaiqab Saint

Saint,

I think we shouldn't limit this discussion to a biblical discussion because that would be a limited view of the issues in the Black community and doesn't allow solutions to this problem to be brought to the table. As we have see, the Church hasn't adequately been able to offer any solution other than prayer which is a good thing for those who are Religious; however, it�s not a solution for others that don't have Religious affiliations.

There are many resources available on mental illness yet Black Americans aren't accessing the system as we should. Case in point, when the World Trade Center Towers were destroyed, I remember having no clue that I was undergoing a Post Traumatic Distress Syndrome.

And my husband's church and parishners hadn't a clue either! The congregants were primarily of West Indian and West African descent and held much of the same taboo beliefs about mental illness as my own people so it was no wonder the pastors didn't mention anything other than prayer and not telling us to seek professional help outside of that.

I remember people getting in front of the church offering their testimonies of how they somehow missed work that day or was just late and couldn't get to work on time. Eight years after that event, I had full blown Panic Disorder and was being referred to a psychiatrists. Can you imagine??? So I am really an advocate for making sure our minds are healthy and not just our bodies and souls. So to make this into a Biblical discussion really doesn't do this topic any justice, because that in my opinion is why many others in our Communities aren't seeking out the resources needed because we've been taught to let God handle it when in fact He's given us good psychiatrists and counselors to help us.

Sunday, August 11th 2013 at 10:09PM
Jen Fad

Furthermore, we have to come to terms with the fact that our brains houses the mind which controls our vital bodily functions. We have to keep it healthy.

Sunday, August 11th 2013 at 10:14PM
Jen Fad