Brandon Marshall’s Mental Health Battle and What It Means To Black America

August 7th, 2011 - By nativenotes

Brandon Marshall, star wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins recently revealed in a press conference that he suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. According to the National Institute of Health, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can be described as “an illness that causes “pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image and behavior.” Marshall, no stranger to the media with tales of domestic abuse and driving under the influence; last week decided to go public with his disorder in order to raise awareness and eventually lobby Congress for funding to assist research efforts. Though BPD is a lesser known mental disorder compared to Schizophrenia or Bi-Polar Disorder, it affects over 6 million Americans.

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  • Lyndon

    Props to Marshall for standing up. I believe this is probably the most common disorder among black folk (Research the criteria). The only reason it's not diagnosed as much is b/c insurance co.'s won't cover it because there's no cure. So instead they say the person is bi-polar, co-dependant or merely depressed. If anyone has the time and courage, read the book "Stop Walking on Eggshells". Not intended for us, but describes the overall mood of SO many blacks. Scary when you connect the dots.

  • jackie

    Ive suffered with many mental illnesses over the years and Never really spoke about it because i felt ashamed and thought people would think i was ‘crazy’ ,so i commend him for going public with it , i know that had to be hard. this is something black people as a whole should be concerned about

  • Prissy

    FINALLY … Someone wrote an article about this! Mental disabilities have been totally ignored within the Black community. I am all for those who are religious… But some things just simply can NOT be prayed away. Somethings are SERIOUS and might even require medication and counseling/therapy outside of the home. Please continue to write more articles on these types of things.

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  • http://www.facebook.com/danniela.rivera1 Danniela Rivera

    I'd like to see in our community older people lead younger people by speaking on this. It's a generational thing. those of us in our 30s who figure that we could use help battling our own issues really need to speak up so it won't take the next generation as long to get to this point. Don't just look at them apathetically and let them figure it out on their own if you can. Even if they don't seem to be listening, still say "yo, you might wanna talk to someone" about their unhealthy behavior. The people I know never listen at first but I just applaud them when they finally do. They all want advice but my advice sometimes ends with "maybe you/ y'all should see a counselor".

  • lively09

    I really respect that Brandon Marshall has shared is mental health struggle with us. I have family members that have suffered from mental health issues, and it is very serious. My best friend now is Bi-Polar and he suffers often. His father was killed when he was very young, so he deals with alot of abandonment issues. I wish the best to Brandon Marshall, and that he is seeking treatment.

  • NappyCentric

    I really commend this young man… wow what a very courageous thing to do. Mental Health is swept under the rug in our community. I remember a couple of years back, in college, I was going through a real rough time. I was extremely depressed and went to see a therapist. I eventually found out that my family has a history of mental illness… depression, bi-polar disorder, certain personality disorders….and that I just might have inherited a chemical imbalance in the brain that contributes to boughts of depression. I went to tell this guy I was dating about it, and he laughed in my face and told me to pray about it. Actually, that was everyone's answer : Pray About It.
    I really hope that since this young man has stepped forward and that there will be more conversations about mental health in our community.

  • Kayla

    No surprise, in the black community alot of things are swept under the rug or completely ignored. Mental health is just one of them

  • Lia

    I commend Mr. Marshall for taking control of his mental health. I hope more African Americans will do the same after reading his story.

  • Gretchen

    Brandon has tremendous courage and strength to come forward and I pray his boldness helps many men who are affected by traumatic childhoods. I applaud him for what he is setting out to do and reducing the stigma of seeking help. God bless him!