Thread by @kharyp

If you are in crisis, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. @NBCLX contributors @ColinSytsma & Justin Goodrum explore the cultural & historical reasons why mental help is so often lacking in the Black community. #mentalhealth #MentalHealthAccess

I figured I would take this moment to say that this will be the last public interview/comment I will provide regarding gun violence, GVP, mental health, suicides, and my story for the foreseeable future. I have done this heartbreaking work for the last 8 years of my life.

I have risked my safety and life in an effort to make the world a better place and to try to help save lives. I took the pain of my own tragedy of my mom's gun suicide and used it as fuel to do the things I felt were and are important.

But, in doing so, I failed to take the time to actually deal with her suicide & its impact on me and my life. And that was an active choice I made;

I felt that if I allowed the pain to go on unchecked that it would allow me to be more raw and authentic when I gave a speech or told my story.

The problem is that I failed to account for the other side of that equation...how am I feeling when the speech is done? It never registered for me, well until recently.

So, I have taken a big step back away from the movement in order to work on these internal issues of mine. You won't see me talking about it at all until I get to a point where I am ready to do so again and I have no idea what that will look like or when it will happen.

Thankfully @Everytown was able to help me get the help I needed as I go on this journey of finally facing tragedy's demon. I am forever grateful that I've been able to find a therapist that I like and that has the kind of training that can actually help me.

Lastly, I hope there are more of you who read this who are willing to get help if you need it. You're not weak or less of a person for getting help. You're no less of a man or woman. You're no less tough.

We have to tear down the stigma that clouds mental health so more people feel empowered to get help vs being afraid. We clearly need to make sure more people have access to it as well.

Mental healthcare shouldn't only be available for those that can afford it or who know the right people. And yes, it should absolutely be easier to get mental healthcare than it is to get a gun.

Again, if you are in crisis, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 @800273TALK .

"Be nice to each other. It's really all that matters." - Dawn Hochsprung

A Young Man's Suicide and the Failures of Mental Health Access in the Black Community

lx.com/mental-health/…