I Just Got A Lot On My Mind.
Mental Health Services
Drivers of the mental health crisis for Black children begin early and persist through their lifetime, For example, the normalizing of: food insecurities, financial instabilities, household vermin, witnessing family violence, witnessing community violence, the inability to distinguish violent music and television from reality, air pollution, noise pollution, community trash, unaddressed chronic personal & family illnesses, and the effects of racism, etc. Did you know that from 2021 to date, 63% of Black youth experience moderate to severe symptoms of depression, Black adolescents suicide attempts increased 80%, Black teen homicides increased 61% and 83% of all gun deaths in the Black community are gun related homicides.
If you are between the ages of 18-21 and are experiencing any symptom from the list below or if your child is between the ages of 0-17 and is experiencing anything from the list below, we can help.
- Intrusive thoughts of an event that may occur out of the blue.
- Reliving the event (flashbacks or nightmares)
- Avoidance, Anxiety, Depression or Impulsive Anger
- Anger followed by aggressive behavior and/or violence
- Homicidal Ideation
- Problems with trust
- Self-destructive or risky behaviors
- Withdrawal or Nightmares
- Visual images of a bad prior event
- Loss of memory and concentration abilities
- Disorientation or Abnormal Feelings of Insecurity
- Confusion or Mood swings
"Children are hurting and the behaviors that they exhibit today are tell-tale reflections of what they've experienced, but lack the appropriate skills for self-care. Anytime you deal with children of color and mental health, you’re not simply dealing with one thing. The mental health of black and brown children is a buffet of consistently growing trauma that is both concurrent and has yet to be adequately addressed. Due to rightfully earned distrust in the American healthcare system, residents of communities of color have normalized mental imbalance. I know, I was one of those kids. That's why I created Better Urban Health, to change that narrative." - Kai Smith, CEO of Better Urban Health