Life
Brandon Marshall’s Mental Health Battle and What It Means To African-Americans
The stigma, the suffering and the solutions
Brandon Marshall (pictured above), a star wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins recently revealed in a press conference that he suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. According to the National Institute of Health, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can be described as “an illness that causes “pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image and behavior.”
Marshall, no stranger to the media with tales of domestic abuse and driving under the influence; last week decided to go public with his disorder in order to raise awareness and eventually lobby Congress for funding to assist research efforts.
BPD is a lesser known mental disorder compared to Schizophrenia or Bi-Polar Disorder, and it affects over 6 million Americans.
Marshall stated during the press conference,
“Right now, today, I am vulnerable. I am making myself vulnerable. And I want it to be clear that this is the opposite of damage control. The only reason why I’m standing here today is to use my story to help others who may suffer from what I suffer from.”
One of the reasons why this story is so remarkable is because often in the black community especially amongst black males, mental health is not discussed, therefore not treated. Though the causes are not fully understood, it is believed that BPD may result from a combination of traumatic and stressful events during maturation from childhood to adulthood.
After reading some of the causes of BPD how can anyone be surprised that young black males are affected by this disorder?
Many Americans who suffer from BPD struggled with abandonment issues in their childhood. Black America is facing record numbers of young black men being raised in single parent homes and their sense of abandonment is alive and well. When children can’t understand why their parents are not together often the children blame themselves and many struggle with that emptiness well into their adulthood.
One symptom of BPD is that the person affected will have a negative self-image, no matter how successful they are. When a young black man grows up in a society that criminalizes him from birth and builds prisons based on his 4th grade literacy level it is not surprising that he would view himself in a negative light.
Brandon Marshall also stated, “”For so long, I have been just trying to get help.”
Marshall should be commended for actively seeking help, but, just think of the young African American men who do not have the resources that Brandon Marshall has at his disposal.
The negative stigma surrounding mental health in the black community has to cease. Too many young men are battling depression, BPD, bi-polar disorder and the list goes on but are afraid to seek help for fear of being viewed as weak. These types of disorders untreated harm not only the individual affected but also their family and friends. Brandon Marshall should be applauded for having the courage to make him self “vulnerable” so that others can find the strength to do the same and seek help.
Source: Madame Noire