Reginald
Hooper might be aimlessly wandering the streets if he never sought
life-changing psychotherapy treatment.
For the
last 17 years, the 45-year-old has been receiving counseling and much-needed
treatment at the Beverly Morgan Park Mental Health Clinic, 1987 W. 111th St.,
which could be one of six clinics closed as a result of city cost-cutting
measures.
“If this
place closes, I would probably have to go to Jackson Park Hospital,” said
Hooper who suffers from depression and schizophrenia. “I don't have a therapist
there.”
Other
clinics that are slated to potentially shutdown following a Wednesday city
council vote are Auburn Gresham, 1140 W. 79th St.; Back of the Yards, 4313 S.
Ashland Ave.; Northtown Rogers Park, 1607 W. Howard St.; Northwest, 2354 N.
Milwaukee Ave.; and Woodlawn, 6337 S. Woodlawn Ave.
Hooper,
who is African-American, has historically not been the typical mental health
treatment patient.
According
to the National Alliance on Mental Illness Culture biases against mental health
professionals and health care professionals in general prevent many African
Americans from accessing care.
Additionally,
mental illness is frequently stigmatized and misunderstood in the
African-American community. It's
believed that African Americans are much more likely to seek help though their
primary care doctors as opposed to accessing specialty care, according to the
alliance.
“It's
getting a little bit better,” said President and CEO of Community Mental Health
Council & Foundation Dr. Carl Bell about Blacks considering mental health
treatment. “People are getting more sophisticated and more educated.”
Bell said
the prominence and influence of spirituality and an anti-psychologist rhetoric
infiltrated within the Black community has played a role in African Americans
failing to seek professional help.
“It
doesn't work that way,” he said, in reference to exclusively relying on the
advice of a religious leader without considering a trained counselor. “A doctor is better than no doctor.”
In many
instances, seeking counseling is considered a sign of a lack of faith in God and
the healing power of divine intervention, according to NAMI.
Others
have cited mistrust within the medical community, lack of medical insurance and
the fact that less than three percent of all psychiatrists are black, which can
hinder willingness to access treatment and medication.
Chicago-area
clinical psychologist Dr. Brian Ragsdale, who treats patients from everything
from PTSD to depression, said it's at times difficult for individuals be
comfortable with the notion of engaging with an individual who might not be
able to relate to the African-American experience and struggles they face.
However,
Ragsdale, who works with an abundance of Black clients, wants the conversation
to change from why Blacks don't seek mental health treatment,
to how
those services can benefit and empower them.
“There is
no shame in seeking help. A problem can't be solved unless there is a specific
plan for treatment, and action plan to deal with problems. It takes time to
change and grow,” said Ragsdale.
“Our
lives are valuable,” he continued. “African Americans need to know how to use
therapy as a tool for achieving positive outcomes.”
That's
the approach Hooper took back in 1994 when he was in desperate straits dealing
with a myriad of psychological issues.
“I knew I
needed help. I was always willing to get it,” said Hooper.
Copyright
2011 Chicago Defender
