HEALTH

Men’s Mental Health Panel Provides Safe Space for Open Dialogue

By Dr. Patrise Holden WI Contributing Writer

Local and national wellness advocates are working to further the conversation surrounding Black men and mental health. On April 22, Generation DMV, in partnership with The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Black Physicians & Healthcare Network, held the event, “Men +

Mental Health Edition.”

“Good mental health for men of color is wealth. I wanted to give men an avenue to discuss mental health and a safe space where we tell them that it’s OK not to be OK,” said Sandra Nnaji of Just 1 PR who planned and facilitated the event. With men often encouraged to be tough and handle problems with grit, this meeting fostered the understanding that there are times when men too need to be treated with softness, compassion and grace.

According to the American Psychiatric Association’s ”Mental Health Facts for African Americans,” Black people are less likely to seek or receive consistent mental health care, less frequently included in mental health research, and more likely to use the ER or primary care rather than mental health specialists.

For the panelists, many of