Joyce
Joyce
One day, I knew I had to talk to someone
Being a woman of color, I know that it’s difficult to engage people in discussions around mental health.
But if we don’t talk about it in our own community, we can’t make any progress.
As the chair of the health committee for the Boston chapter of the NAACP, Joyce has seen the negative impact of mental health stigma on the African-American community.
As a person who has long struggled with depression and then post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), she knows how stigma—especially self-stigma—can stand in the way of getting needed help and living a full life.
By telling her story, she hopes to let others know that it’s OK to have a mental health condition and it’s important to talk about it.
Most women I grew up with didn’t talk about their emotions. I think this is because, historically, Black women are seen as very strong.
You might talk about your struggles to your closest friends, but even in that conversation you’re talking about concrete things—like dealing with your home and your children—you’re not talking about thoughts and emotions.
Also, Black men don’t cry or talk about their problems. They don’t share their inner thoughts with just anybody. They don’t want to be seen as crazy.
Into her adult years, Joyce was often depressed, and she knew that she had stronger emotional reactions than others.
As she grew older, her depressive moods stayed with her as she was forced to cope with several tragic events.
Starting at the age of 32, she endured losses of significant family members, she lost her mother, her father. A brother who had been misdiagnosed with cancer passed away. A few years later, a second brother passed suddenly. Her best friend also died.
I was in my early 30s before I started seeing a therapist.
I was a single mom, raising my kids, but I was being prideful, and I didn’t think there was anything wrong. But one day, I knew I had to talk to someone.
Today, Joyce continues to see a therapist and work on her depression and PTSD.
Being older, having so many losses in my life, it’s hard. I have to focus.
My fear with depression is that if I stay there, it could lead me to a very dark place.
