 DeShuna's
Story
I don't myself have a mental illness, but
there are people who are close to me who are suffering. My best friend's
brother, who is like a brother to me, was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia.
My best friend and her family did not see this coming. In addition, my
sister has been suffering with bouts of depression since the birth of
her first son. I didn't see this coming. I thought my sister could just
snap out of it, and she would be all right.
Coming from an African-American background it's often difficult
for our culture to accept that someone we love could actually have a
mental illness. Most of us believe that if we pray hard and long enough
God will take care of our love ones. Not saying that this isn't true,
but sometimes this denial of mental illness as a serious problem causes
us not to fully support our loved ones, as we should.
We don't want to seek out all the information we can to
help our loved ones cope because we believe that what they are going
through is not that serious and they will be ok. This is not always true.
That is why I am proud to be a part of Mpower.
It is important, as a family member and a friend of those
with mental illness, to support them and be there for them even when
you can't understand exactly what they are going through. Sometimes it
may seem like the most difficult thing to do, you may feel as though
you can't cope yourself. The important thing to do is to talk to friends
and other people who may share the same experiences and support each
other. Websites like Mpower are a powerful tool for this because they
help increase mental health awareness, give us an opportunity to share
our stories and get information or help if it is needed.
By sharing my story I wish to give hope to those who may
be friends or family of someone with a mental illness and spread the
message that mental illness is real and affects everyone, regardless
of age, race, gender, etc. You are not alone and there is hope.
DeShuna Dickens, 26, Chicago, Illinois
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