I have a story to tell, of pain and hurt, of UPs & downs, of survival and triumph. I am a black girl with bipolar disorder I was diagnosed in 2012 after being admitted for attempted suicide. I have been sexual abused, battle with low self esteem, dealt with substance abuse, and self harming myself. But I also have a wonderful daughter, graduated studying fashion design, loved hard, and remain a spiritual being and live to create.
I know that there are many beautiful black women out there with stories just like mine. We were told to tuck them away, hold your head up, and never let anyone see you cry for crying is a sign of weakness. Mental illness is real in our community but I found that we have the lease amount of support when it comes to this sensitive subject. I have been to support groups, talked to people with same issues, but why am I the only black person in those groups, or why when I try to talk about mental illness with other black people its either a laughable comment, or some stigmatized reply. Or some crazy look you get when you say you have a mental illness. Well it is because of these types of things that made me want to do something about it.
I wish to share with you my joys as well as my struggles, my thoughts and wishes of breaking the stigma, my creativeness, my daughter, and any advice I could share to help other's battling their mental illness. May my story inspire others to stand up and say yes I have bipolar but I am also A MOTHER, A SISTER, A CHEF, A TEACHER, AN ARTIST, A SON, A GRANDMOTHER, A FATHER, A FRIEND, A SOUL. A VOICE, A PERSON!!!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment