There are few groups who could stand
to benefit from therapy more than black people.
I mean, think about all the things
black people have been through--
slavery, segregation, winter,
all equally traumatic experiences.
But unfortunately,
even as therapy has become more mainstream,
the black community has had a tough time
getting the help that they need.
WOMAN: It's hard enough to get mental health treatment
in the U.S., but studies show
that racial and ethnic minorities
are significantly less likely
to receive mental health treatment than whites.
WOMAN 2: Black and Hispanic children are less likely
to get mental health care than white kids.
And studies show that irritability
in the average white teenager is often labeled as depression.
That same behavior is more likely to be seen as disruptive
in black or Latino children, and doctors say
that can lead to feelings of hopelessness
at a very young age.
Yes, one of the reasons
many black people don't get the proper treatment
is misdiagnosis.
What is seen as depression in white people can be seen
as disruptive behavior in black people.
And this shouldn't be surprising, right?
This kind of thing happens in medicine all the time.
Missed diagnoses.
It's like, when a black person has a seizure,
it's a medical emergency,
but when a white person does it, it's called dancing.
(laughter)
But it turns out...
-It turns out... -(applause)
...even when black people are properly diagnosed
with mental health issues, it can still be a challenge
to find a therapist who's equipped to handle their needs.
WOMAN: Making the crisis worse--
not enough African-American therapists.
Today, only four percent of psychologists are black.
MAN: Kevin Darden says admitting he needed help
was actually easier than finding it.
He saw three different therapists,
but felt that none of them understood the stress
and emotions unique to black men.
WOMAN: When Taraji P. Henson's own son Marcell was struggling,
she found it nearly impossible to find him one.
Trying to find a culturally-competent therapist
was like looking for a purple unicorn
with a gold horn.
WOMAN 2: Do they understand the cultural
context from which I'm coming from?
Do they understand the culture
that I live in?
That's right. It's extremely difficult
for black people to find a black therapist.
And it's been like this for a very, very long time.
I mean, that's why Martin Luther King, Jr.
was always describing his dreams to huge crowds.
You know, it's just like, "I had another dream
"that I'm being chased by bears in my underwear!
Does anyone here know what that means?"
(laughter)
Now... now you may think...
You may think that a therapist's race shouldn't matter at all,
and that's true, but if you think about it,
it does make sense.
For many white therapists, no matter how good they are,
it can be hard to understand the particular experiences
of a black person, you know?
Just sitting there in a session, even if they are trying,
it could be like, "So you say people are following you
"around the store,
"and you're invisible, but only to taxi drivers?
Hmm. Paranoid delusions."
So when it comes to mental health,
there's a very real struggle
for black people to access health care,
get diagnosed correctly,
and find a therapist who can relate to them.
But if that wasn't bad enough,
there's another major hurdle stopping black people
from getting therapy,
and it comes from the black community itself.
We have a stigma in the black community
when it comes to dealing with mental health.
WOMAN: Black students say, where they come from,
it's shameful to talk about anxiety, depression and trauma.
MAN: It's not okay to have mental health issues, or, like,
that's a white people thing.
I've-I've heard all the time. Black men don't go to therapy.
They go to the barbershop.
I told my own mother that I was seeing a therapist,
and she said, "You don't need to see a therapist.
What you need to do is see a preacher."
-You got Jesus. -MAN: Right.
-You don't need anything else. -Right.
You know, just buck it up.
Ah, yeah.
That's a line every black person knows all too well.
"You don't need therapy. You need Jesus!"
And my response is always, "Why can't we use both?"
Because church is a great place for community,
but therapy is great for one-on-one mental health needs.
I mean, I bet Jesus himself wished
he could have gone to therapy at times, you know?
Just be like, "So, my best friend betrayed me,
"and I was born in a freaking barn.
"Plus, my birthday always falls on Christmas,
"so I only get one set of presents.
It's so shitty!"
So, yes, part of the problem, part of the problem is
that there's a major stigma
in the black community around therapy.
And honestly, I can understand
why many black people would rather deal
with problems at church.
It's a familiar place for us, right?
You trust the people there, and it's also a fun atmosphere.
Like, therapy doesn't seem fun.
Church is-is cool. I get it.
In fact, that's what I was thinking.
Maybe... maybe that's one way
we could try and help solve this therapy crisis.
We need to make therapy a little bit more like black church,
and I think it would be pretty dope.
I don't know, it's just really hard for me
to let people in.
And I feel like it's probably because every time
I show affection, it just feels like weakness.
Mm-hmm.
Did y'all hear that?
Did y'all hear what Brother Jaboukie just said right here?
Brother Jaboukie says that he can't show affection,
because it feels like weakness.
But before we can understand what hurt us,
you got to understand who hurt us.
Who hurt you, Brother Jaboukie?
Hmm. Whoa. Wow.
I-I would probably say my... my father.
'Cause he was really emotionally distant.
But, then, so was his father.
Which is probably where he got it from.
The sins of the father...
-passed down... -(plays chord on organ)
from generation to generation.
And what will break this cycle?
Other than a reflective analysis
of the ego's hold on your psyche.
I need to self-actualize.
-You need to what? -Self-actualize.
Self-actualize!
-Self-actualize. -Self-actualize!
♪ Self-actualize, self-actualize ♪
♪ Self-actualize ♪
He's gonna empower himself!
♪ Overcome his demons ♪
Deal with his forgotten memories!
♪ Repression ♪
Confront his dysfunctional avoidance of intimacy!
♪ He didn't go to prom ♪
♪ He didn't go to prom, he didn't go to prom ♪
♪ He didn't go to prom. ♪
Look, uh, we're out of time.
We can now pick this up next week.
Right. Thank you so much.
I've just been going through a lot,
-and it was really helpful to talk... -(clearing throat)
Sorry. Uh, it should actually be covered. I have Blue Cross.
Son, the only cross in my network is Jesus.
(organ playing)