Can you elaborate on the connection between a “bad mental state†and our financial behavior?
Green: I often see how depression can lead to bad financial decisions. As Terrie mentioned, the feeling that you don’t have opportunity can have a tremendous state on your mental health and emotions. People will try to feel better by buying things they can’t afford. I’ve seen people go to places and environments they can’t afford. When we see these warning signs we should be seeking out therapists instead of material things that hurt our financial well-being.
A study by the National Institutes of Health found that Blacks were about half as likely as Whites to seek out mental health support. We don’t need research to tell us this, there is a stigma about mental health in the Black Community. Where do you think that comes from?
Williams: Part of it is history. Think about the emotions and feelings people had to suppress during slavery. You had to be quiet or your family might get separated. You had to be quiet or you might get hurt or killed. This is simply what we learned. Rarely do we share. Today, a White person might say they have to leave work to go to therapy. A Black person does not have that same level of comfort with being honest.
Where do people begin? How do you know when you need help and what should you do?
Greene: The first thing people have to realize is that therapy is an emotional education. We simply need to learn more about them, not dwell in them. A therapist will help you do that as well as help you see the ways in which your choices can be keeping you from achieving your goals — particularly if you’ve been stuck for a long period of time. In addition, most of us will experience depression in some situations: Job loss, divorce, our child may have a problem. This situational depression is temporary. If you have depression over a long period of time and people close to you tell you you’re not yourself, then you need to reach out. My first thought is always a therapist — most insurance companies cover therapy. Your doctor can also help you find the support you need.