ESPN'S JACKIE MCCULLAN'S SERIES ON THE NBA, BLACK MEN, AND THE STIGMAS OF MENTAL HEALTH IS PULITZER PRIZE WORTHY
CLICK HERE TO READ JACKIE MCCULLAN'S FULL SERIES ON ESPN
Despite our strenghts as men, nearly 16% of all black men in America have been diagonised with some form of a mental illness in the past year. Guys, that's over 6.8M men in our country that are struggling with depression, ADHD, OCD, and other forms of mental health issues. Issues like poverty, family household, and other reasons factor into these numbers and tell a story of men working hard against the odds to achieve their dreams. The problem however is that within the black community, that 6,8M number is proably much much higher because of underreporting. As compared to our white counerparts, black men hold beliefs related to stigma, psychological openness, and help-seeking, which in turn affects their coping behaviors. Let's also not forget the the 60% composition of black men in prison populations that aren't reported in these kinds of statistics. Despite this data, we somehow seem to think that our professional athlete heros are immune to these challenges of mental health. It was Demar Rozan's openness about his struggles with mental health that craeted a sea change in sports and paved way for others to be open about their lives and how they are coping.
ESPN's Jackie McCullan recently created a series that covers everything from a POV on medicating or not medicating to help with mental wellness, to an all out honest look at mental health, black athletes and the NBA. She opens our eyes to the journey's of these young men to stardom and how their lives, in some instances, come with serious challenges only some of us can begin to imagine. As a result there is an underbelly of mental health facing these athletes and often going unnoticed. I applaud the work because it sheds light on a serious issue that is likely impacting a number of us B Dads and I hope by reading some of her content we all find a way to support those in our circles who may be faced with the same challenged. Bravo ESPN and Jackie McCullan for the work.
