This is the question of the day for many mental health care practitioners. As we began checking our caseloads, we are finding more and more Black men in our waiting rooms. Is it because they are actually depressed, or do they just want to be declared disabled in this system? Seemingly a little bit of both are true. Let’s face it, there are several issues plaguing the hope of the African-American male:
- Racism
- Unemployment
- Lost Wages
- Criminal Recidivism
First off, it appears that America is mad because they have a Black President. As a result, many of us receive projected anger (racism) that should be directed towards President Obama, but the reality of it having an effect on him is nil to nothing. The second major problem is with unemployment. The skill and unskilled laborers jobs are all gone. General Motors and several other factories in America are struggling to just stay alive. For whatever reasons, Americans just don’t buy American. It may have something to do with quality (i.e. FORD=Found On Road Daily). Lost wages is a problem, too. It appears that construction, pipe-fitting and HVAC jobs, which were the mainstay in some of the African-American males’ occupational opportunities, have gone down the drain with the economy. We have stopped building homes at an accelerated rate and Home Depot has become all of our best friends. We are the fix-it-yourself generation. And finally, criminality is too common in our communities and families. We all know someone who is in jail, coming-out of jail, or on the run from jail. As a result of the aforementioned reasons above, “Depression” is becoming more of a reality in our communities.
Enough Said,
Dr. O
What’s Your Current Mental Status?… Click on the link below and take Dr.O’s Mental Evaluation Screening to assess your current mental status:
http://www.drowensmd.com/index.php?option=com_php&Itemid=7
