Psychiatry vs. Prayer? Why Getting Professional Help Shouldn’t Be Taboo

July 27th, 2011 - By Victoria Uwumarogie

Is it still taboo for black folks to seek out a psychiatrist when they’re really going through something terrible? What kind of issue warrants talking to God about it, versus talking to a complete stranger with a pen, a pad, and a really soft sofa chair instead? You might not want to shun the idea of seeking professional help too quick, especially since statistics dating back to 2009 say depression is affecting up to 20 million Americans a year, with only 12 percent of black women seeking out help…

I used to think like that back in the day, maybe because that was the vibe I always used to get from older, black adults. “You don’t need a psychiatrist, you need to pray.” That was the theory thrown around in the fiction books I read, and on the television shows I watched. For the most part, anybody caught dead laid out on a Freudian sofa usually lacked a whole lot of melanin if you know what I mean, and they were usually overly-emotional people in my book. And from the outside in, it all looked really unappealing. A random individual from off the street judging you, hearing all your deepest, darkest secrets or business, evaluating your “well-being” and getting paid a gross amount of money per hour to do so? No thanks. What a rip off, right?

Well, that’s what I thought until a sistah actually needed some mental healing.

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  • KISSING UP

    Older folks definitely still don't see therapists as an option. Then there's the cost of visiting one. There is great value in seeking out people, books and groups that share our issues and pain. We have so much self-blame and blame from others to struggle with. And no one can cope entirely alone-
    http://kissingup.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/blaming…

  • Sugar/Spice

    I am currently going trough some health issues & started seeing a Therapist to help me through this. Yes it is a taboo in our community & I normally wouldn't go but I did with the encouragement of my husband. No one else in my family knows though.

  • elle

    What does prayer really do?

  • Nikki

    I was the same exact way until I needed help. It came at my mother's suggestion. I was messing up my second year of college and I kept going on like everything was ok. My mom forced me to go and I'm so glad she did because therapy helped so much. I hope therapy becomes less of a stigma in our community because while I believe in prayer I also believe GOD put people in place to help others for a reason.

  • AnnaMae

    I believe you should get professional help, but PRAYER ALWAYS HELPS.

  • TG9

    I LOVED talking to a therapist! I never went to a Psychiatrist, but to a Psychologist and to a Clinical Social Worker. The Psychologist through the clinic at college and the CSW through work EAP. Talking it out with a professional helped to indentify a lot of causes and healing for childhood issues, etc.

    sidenote to author: I think you should have differentiated between Psychiatrist and Psychologist. Though both do psychotherapy, there are very different aspects to each type of mental health pratice. http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/psych…

  • ladyt

    many churches are talking straight forward now and people still have issues. I believe therapy is good but prayer is also important and the both must be combined

  • Miss_Understood

    Thank you for posting this article! First off, I think there is a mistake in assuming that the two have to be separate entities. You can believe in science and religion, no matter what anyone tries to make us believe, it is very possible to balance the two.

    Secondly, as a mental health professional who is Black AND Christian, I know that there indeed is a stigma. Unfortunately, it is a stigma that contributes to the self destruction of our community. Oftentimes, people of color use drugs to medicate SERIOUS mental illness-in fact, a lot of communities think smoking weed and drinking is a better option than seeing a therapist and taking an antidepressant. Think about how much change we would make in the lives of battered women of color, teen boys joining gangs and killing each other, young girls growing up not understanding how to be and why they deserve love and respect, etc. if we were more open to seeking out help with our EMOTIONAL well being…

    • Dragonlady73

      Thank you for this. My thereapist is also Christian. I was shocked that she was so open about it. I started seeing her after my stepdaughter commited suicide at 16. The first session she asked me if she could pray with me. She would encourage me from both standpoints–that of phsychiatry and the WORD. I love her and sometimes I would go in just to see her because she is so uplifting to your spirit. I have never been too proud to make ME better.

      • MrsVaughnes

        I had a phebotomist who would do the same thing–she always prayed with me right before a blood draw. :) Speaking of which, I wonder what these anti-psychologist folks would say if you told them that they needed to stop getting treatment from a doctor–they should just pray and all of their medical problems would go away. Just like God created doctors for a reason (shoot, one was a disciple, for crying out loud!), He created mental health professionals too.

  • Nicole

    I am not going to go into detail but I finally took the time out to see a counselor after years of walking around in denial with death,misplaced anger,etc. this was the best decision that I ever made, even after my first session, I felt like I was "coming" into myself, but the drawback is now I am dealing with the actual grieving process-coming to terms with the fact that what I thought was reality, was not. I see my counselor every week, she is uplifting and inspiring, she also tells me to pray but I know that GOD pointed me in this direction, why wouldnt he want me to get help? He saw my "issues" and instead of listening to the nay-sayers and those that tell you that you are "crazy", yet they cant even face themselves in the mirror, I took that leap of faith and now I feel like a new woman. finally, ALIVE, coping but Im moving forward…FINALLY.

  • Dr. MMKing, to be

    I think the stigma has been reduced in recent years but there is still a certain amount of the belief that therapist are lumped into the category of witch doctor.

    I am currently in school to become a psychiatrist, so yes believe we all, black, white, male and female should seek out a great therapist before a huge issue and definately when the things get rough.

  • JustAshley

    I never knew there was still a social stigma with seeking therapy or any other kind of help. *shrug*
    *
    I know a woman who said she didn't need a therapist or medicine- she just needed God. This same chick swore her tv was relaying secret messages only to her, certain movies made were about her, her family was against her and her house was bugged. I'm dead a$$ serious. She stays in her house and never leaves- but to go to the store, but when she does- she's convinced someone been in her house while she was away. Her divorce completely devastated her. She used to be an incredibly beautiful woman. She used to be fiercely independent, but as sweet and kind as they come. Now she's just a shadow of her former self….Its so sad.
    *
    I can't front. Her situation made me give marriage the side-eye for awhile, but the truth is- she married the wrong guy and it affected her life dramatically. SMH I continue to pray she will find a therapist, some medicine AND God.

  • Dragonlady73

    **continued**
    Chances that I would eer run into him was slim. Eventually, I started using my five paid visits my EAP offers just because. I tell people I go to "KEEP FROM GOING CRAZY". lol. Sometimes you need a neutral person to dump on instead of your loved ones.

  • Dragonlady73

    Well, the first time I went was after I lost my first child three weeks after he was born. I tried to deal with it through prayer like you did, but it wasn't enough. I sat and had a "talk" with myself and decided that God blessed these people with the ability to help me. So, I contacted EAP through my job and had my initial appointmen. Man, what a relief!!! Like you said–it didn't come immediately, but after about three visits I felt comfortable because this man didn't know me or my people.

    • pag

      Thank you for sharing this. I used to work for a company that offered EAP services and that's where I learned that the ability to counsel can also be a gift from God. It's okay to thank God for providing for your mental health needs. Sometimes I think we forget: Noah built the Ark; Moses led the people out of Egypt; Solomon had his people build the temple etc… God uses people and He's not upset when we seek out help from someone else as long as that help doesn't contradict His Word. In ALL things give thanks!

  • Smitty

    I think that therapy isn’t such a taboo for black women anymore. Now it’s the men. Our men go through so much and they absolutely refuse to get the help that they know they need. My husband had a very rough childhood. My pastor who is also my father had had his own experience with therapy and is dead set on not recommending it for anyone because “all they’re gonna do is put you on medication”. I’m constantly telling him that this is not true in all cases. But he’s against it and now we have one black man trying to poison another to feel the same way.

    • dNYC

      Amen to that Smitty I got my boyfriend to see one after he lost his job and it was great. He's got a new job and dealt with some deep childhood issues. There are a lot of myths about masculinity (that the church passes on) that traps men into thinking that they are weak if they have to ask a stranger for advice. We need to encourage brothers to seek help when needed, no person is an island. God puts the doors in front of me, my shrink helps me turn the key.

  • Lisa

    What a piece of crap.

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