DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF) — One in five Americans are struggling with their mental health, according to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. They also say African Americans are 20% more likely to suffer from serious psychological distress.
Camillia Harris, founder of Just Us, Mental Health Foundation hopes to change that with the a mental health conference specifically for African American men.
There were a number of different organizations and mental health advocacy groups that shared different information about professional help in the area, as well as cost-free ways to destress, reduce anxiety, and prioritize yourself first.
According to the Ohio Suicide Prevention, one in every three black adults who need mental health care actually receive it.
“My family and I lost; we lost our father tragically in 2019 to suicide he actually completed a murder suicide,” said Harris.
Harris said this conference is important because it helps men who are dealing with mental health issues and feeling hopeless.
“What can I do different in my community, so that we come together as neighbors, and we embody and empower each other just to live healthy both mentally and physically,” said Harris.
People listened to guest speaker’s stories on how they got through the darkest times of their lives, like dealing with abandonment and violent relationships.
“I was involved in an attempted homicide suicide incident where I decided to leave my boyfriend,” said Diona Clark, co-founder of the conference.
People walked away with more knowledge than they walked in with, learning more about the signs that someone is experiencing mental health.
“Learning about domestic violence cases that’s only 60% of those cases, those people that’s dealing with those things are mental health people and I think that was really really big,” said Anthony Dixon Jr., panelist at the event.
Dayton’s Mayor, Jeffrey Mims said to build a stronger city, it starts with making helpful resources available to its citizens.
“Having more than 300 young people come together to talk about to talk about that and mental health is one of those key issues that we do every year been doing that for the last two years and we continue to do that as long as I am mayor,” said Mims.
Organizers of the event said it’s one their goals to get people to understand that seeking help is not a sign of weakness and taking your mental health seriously is beneficial to you and those around you.