In this second episode of “The Thoughts Inside,” podcast host and Georgia State University student Tomi continues to dive into the minds of young adults at Silence The Shame University Fest at Morehouse College.
Tomi sits down with students from Spelman College to chat about their personal communities and how they affect their mental health. Her discussions cover topics such as mental health stigmas, generational differences in mental health, and more. Silence the Shame, Free Your Feels, and VOX ATL promote self-expression about mental health all year long.
For more mental health stories and resources, please visit our mental health content page!
Transcript:
(Edited for clarity).
Tomi: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the second episode of The Thoughts Inside. I’m your host, Tomi, and today we’re here at Silence The Shame Fest, capturing the vibrant voices of young adults as we discuss the important topic of mental health perspectives across diverse communities. We’ll be speaking with people from all walks of life here at Morehouse College, and we’ll share their unique stories, insights, and advice.
I hope you’re looking forward to this insightful episode, and let’s dive in.
Tomi: Hello. I’m here with …
Yaa: Yaa.
Tomi: How old are you, and what school do you attend?
Yaa: I’m 18 years old, and I currently am a first year at Spelman College.
Tomi: Wow. That’s so cool. Thank you so much for being here with us today. Our first question for you is what communities do you identify with, and how does your community talk about mental health?
Yaa: So I identify with the African community, specifically Ghanaian. And I feel like mental health really isn’t talked about. There’s a lot of hush-hush when people are going through a crisis.
Tomi: Definitely.
Yaa: When it’s exposed to the public — for example, somebody has a mental health breakdown — I feel like people are shunned. So I want that to change over time, because I feel like mental health shouldn’t be as stigmatized. That’s something that we can work through as the younger generation and as we matriculate through our age.
Tomi: I love that. I definitely agree. I’m Nigerian as well, so I definitely see that side of shunning our mental health issues.
Yaa: Yeah.
Tomi: Making it seem as though it’s not an issue that we only really focus on physical health and not what’s going on in the brain.
Yaa: Yes.
Tomi: What’s a common message you’ve heard within your community personally? Or that you’ve heard said to other people when it comes to mental health?
Yaa: When somebody goes through a mental health crisis, sometimes you’ll hear like, “Oh my gosh, he went crazy. He started doing …” or it’ll be like, “It’s because of this, that, and …” an external factor.
Tomi: Yeah.
Yaa: Rather than thinking about what led them to this stage and point in time. So it’s more about the end result of, “Oh, he did this. He went to a mental institution.” It’s never what got them there.
Tomi: What do you think the African community as a whole can do to improve these stigmas that we currently have?
Yaa: I think there is improvement in that the younger generation is starting to try to educate their parents about what they hear, as they’re being educated on it themselves. So it’s kind of bringing the older generation up to speed on the way that things should be within your family. How things should be processed when somebody goes through a mental health crisis, amongst other things.
So just acceptance. Preaching acceptance. Making sure that everybody knows that it’s okay to be going through mental health issues.
Tomi: True.
Yaa: And you will get through it.
Tomi: True. Thank you so much. We loved having you on this podcast, and I love to hear your perspective. I hope you go on voxatl.org to listen to the podcast and to hear more about mental health issues. Thank you so much.
Yaa: Thank you.
Tomi: I hope you have a great day.
Yaa: Same to you.
Tomi: Hello. I’m here with…
Ainka: Ainka Amara
Tomi: How old are you, and what school do you go to?
Ainka: I am 18. I’m currently a first-year psychology major with a mental health concentration at the Spelman College.
Tomi: Thank you so much for joining us. Our first question for today is, what communities do you identify with, and how does your community discuss mental health?
Ainka: Okay. I specifically identify with the Black Latinx community. So my personal experience with mental health is very rough, with initially not being seen, then being seen. I believe that the older generation is used to just having to endure their trauma and being silenced for it by other generations. But I believe that Generation Z is currently breaking the stigma of mental health, which is really important for bringing awareness to a culture that is not used to it.
Tomi: How do you think Gen Z is breaking the stigma currently?
Ainka: I think we’re breaking the stigma by falling into the discomfort of talking about your mental health, and specifically knowing and identifying our triggers and how that affects us in our everyday lives.
Tomi: Do you have any personal stories of how Gen Z is breaking this stigma or how the older generation has affected your mental health? Personally?
Ainka: Yes. Specifically with the older generation, I think the stigma is so, so deep that they don’t believe in things like therapy or medication or whatever. They believe in God, and as they should, right? Because that’s what their parents taught them. That’s what they’ve known. That’s what they’re used to.
So this is very new. A lot of awareness is being brought to mental health, specifically to these resources. So when they see a new generation doing that, they’re kind of skeptical because they’re not used to that, and I feel like we should just lean into the change that’s currently evolving over time.
Tomi: Thank you so much for your response.
Ainka: Of course.
Tomi: I really hope we see these changes within the Black and Latinx community.
Ainka: Yes.
Tomi: And thank you so much for joining.
Ainka: Of course. Thank you.
Tomi: Hello, I’m here with …
Lorna: Lorna Morris and I am a first-year psychology major on the pre-med track from Spelman College.
Tomi: In growing up, what’s been one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced? How have you handled that challenge? How have you grown from it as well?
Lorna: For a little bit of background, my parents, they’re both immigrants, and growing up, learning about my identity and also feeling like, in many of the spaces I was in, because I was in many predominantly white spaces, I felt like I was the only one of my kind.
I am Ghanaian American. So a lot of my community was outside of the home, and it was more so with the different communities that my parents were in, but I had to reclaim that for myself. And so I think growing up in a predominantly white area, trying to kind of conform to what they thought I was versus what I knew I was.
And combining the two communities that I feel shaped my self. That was definitely a big challenge for me. But as I grew up and started to reclaim different parts of myself that I loved and I knew made up the complexities of myself, that’s what kind of grew my confidence and made me feel like I could truly do anything in this world through my own power.
Tomi: That was so powerful.
Lorna: Thank you.
Tomi: And thank you so much for sharing that.
Tomi: Thank you to everyone who shared their stories and insights today. These live, on-the-go interviews offer a rare glimpse into the minds and hearts of young adults. Shedding light on the unique challenges and triumphs of mental health within our various communities.
From personal experiences to community perspectives, each conversation added a new layer to the ongoing conversation around mental health. Join us as we amplify diverse voices and empower each other through storytelling. Your voice matters.
Let’s keep the conversation going. Make sure to listen to our next episode of the Thoughts Inside, and we hope to see you next time.
