In his Public Broadcasting
Corporation PBS programming show “Faces of America,” Professor Henry Louis
Gates Jr. normally presents the triumphs and resiliencies of our genealogical
ancestors. However, another side of that same coin that is much less discussed
is that of the introspective legacy of mental health disorders. The transitions
from old nations to new nations are accompanied by other demanding stressors
such as the need to survive, integrate, assimilate, and/or acculturate. These
demands are more strident when one contextualizes the scenarios by which some
of our forefathers arrived in the United States and the manmade and
environmental harshness that they needed to circumvent and overcome in a
strange land. Depression appears to be one of those psychological and emotional
landmines that our ancestors dealt with which is still prevalent today within the
larger host societies and especially in the African Diaspora communities.
Indeed some have argued that the
awful and inhuman legacy of slavery and segregation has manifested itself in
post traumatic stress symptoms and disorders. These stressors continue to
present as depressive episodes before evolving and combining with other mental
health disorders to confront our family systems and societal (healthcare,
mental health, and criminal justice) systems. Another contemporary heritage is
that of newly arrived immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas.
These African Diaspora communities that have arrived within the last 40years
find themselves transplanted to other societies while mourning the disruptions
in their lives, the absence of close nuclear and extended families. Most times,
their depression, and grief, extents to the failed state of their countries of
origins that might be involved in wars, economic injustices, internal
colonization, and globalization alias recolonization.
According to the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders otherwise known as DSM-IV, depression
falls within the spectrum of mood episodes and mood disorders. The major factor
in any depressive situation is “mood change” which can be a recent
episode and/or reoccurring episodes. Depression within the African Diaspora
communities like in other communities could run the gambit from mood episodes such
as major depressive episode to mood disorders such as bipolar I disorder. The
operative key in dealing with depressive episodes and/or disorders revolves
around our abilities to identify and address symptoms before they exacerbate.
There needs to be the willingness to tackle and/or address depression at the
onset or presentation, rather than waiting until it becomes a compound problem
which results in other symptoms and disorders.
For example, these three
semi-fictional narratives which are similar to recent sensational headlines in
the media might have been resolved if competent and culturally sensitive care
were afforded. Thus there needs to be detailed investigations to uncover the
relationship between depression and the preceding events. Headline 1: Philadelphia police and the FBI have captured a group
of Sierra Leonean men who were in a car theft and car shipping ring. The said
young men in their 20’s and 30’s have been known to operate a criminal
syndicate with underlings throughout the east coast of the United States. Headline 2: The Washington DC police department
took a 35year African American woman into custody today for child endangerment
and neglect, after social workers citied her for going to Atlantic City casinos
during the weekend (Friday-Sunday). She left her 3year old son, 7year old
daughter, and 9year old son under the care of her 12year old daughter. Headline 3: A 45year Nigerian man was
arrested in the Cleveland Ohio area for killing his wife and mother of three of
his children in the midst of their heated divorce proceedings.
Vignettes: With detailed
information and links to Depression:
1st Client- Sierra
Leonean Men: The Philadelphia men were led by two cousins’ 30year old Alfa
and 31year old Karim who were abandoned and left to their own devices during the
Sierra Leonean rebel wars from 1991-2002. Before the war Mr. Alfa was raised in
Bo city by his relatives who focused mainly on the money that was sent back for
his upkeep. He resented the fact that his parents were not around and he could
only manage to speak with them about five times a year. He was treated like an
outcast by family members and was forced to grow up quick. He presented with
major abandonment challenges and got involved in the maladaptive city street
lifestyle at the age of 11.
On the
other side, Mr. Karim was cared for by his mother’s best friend in Freetown. Despite
the necessary clothing and feeding that he received from his caretakers, it
soon became obvious that his situation was special. Within the household he was
treated as a third class individual. Karim was responsible for attending to the
needs of the other members of the household. They included the three teenage children
of the madam and master (Oga) of the house. Karim soon became a punching bag at
home and was forced to drop out of school in the ninth grade. After Alfa and
Karim met in a camp for displaced people during the war, they travelled to Guinea
and Gambia respectively.
Both
guys eventually made it to the United States in 2002 as war refugees and
settled in the Philadelphia (Alfa) and New Jersey (Karim) area. They were
reunited during an end of year party in 2002 and subsequently discussed their
difficulties with meeting family expectations. Alfa and Karim lacked high
school education and could not excel in their educational pursuits due to their
lack of foundational elementary studies, unlike most African immigrants in the
United States who are excelling beyond measures. In 2003, both men were working
minimum wage jobs and were very despondent with their attempts to climb the US
economic ladder and to succeed like others within their communities.
Interestingly,
in 2004 Mr. Alfa found employment as a security officer in the Philly area
working at an auto dealership. He worked for about one year and decided to use
his training as a scout or reconnaissance underling in Sierra Leone and
security officer in the US to steal vehicles from dealership lots. Karim and
other individuals within their tiny immigrant community were soon recruited
into the business and with time they got the stealing and shipping business
down to a science. These young men who were outcast and depressed about their
family and financial situations became grandiose and histrionic with the sudden
influx of dollars. The FBI estimates that between 2005 and 2011 the “Salone
Mafia” as they were fondly called, took in close to $3.5million before their
national manhunt and arrest.
2nd Client-
African American Mother: Ayana was the first child of her parents who
relocated from South Carolina to Washington DC. Her parents came to the
nation’s capital in search of greener pastures and to escape the systematic
racism in southern United States known as the so-called Bible belt. Though Ayana
was older than her brother, she was loved dotingly by her parents and
especially her father. In other words she was the sugar in his tea, apple of
his eyes, and she was spoil rotten by her dad. When they arrived in DC she was
4years old, her brother was 2years, and both parents began working with dad
going off at night and mom reporting to midday work. These were the good old
days for Ayana and her brother and they relished in the affection they got from
both parents and their neighbors.
However,
things fell apart when little Ayana turned 9years and got the news that her
father died of brain aneurism. The family was so devastated and gradually their
situations began to take a turn for the worse. Ayana became extremely depressed and suffered
from anxiety throughout her high school due to her fear of losing her mother
who worked very hard to provide for them. Her brother Jamal was not as
fortunate as his sister and ended up dropping out of school due to the lack of
parental discipline and guidance. While his mother was working he went out and
interacted with antisocial and criminally inclined individuals that were unlike
his father. Jamal eventually got swept up in the drug dealing and drug using epidemics
that have invaded many urban cities in the United States.
On the
other hand Ayana went to work for the DC government despite her presentation of
moderate adjustment disorder. She eventually married Mr. Latrell Chisom who
reminded her of her father while loving and taking care of her as such. She
began to trust again whilst letting go of her depressive anxieties and feeling
of worthlessness. The couples decided to make a family and went on to have two
daughters and a son while experiencing the quintessential middle-income
lifestyle in the DMV area. Things were going so good that Ayana reached out to
her younger brother Jamal who was now a father of seven children with four
different women. She knew he needed some therapeutic intervention because he
was depressed and suffered from social withdrawal.
Interestingly,
her plans did not completely come to fruition as Mr. Chisom was murdered during
a robbery by a 17year juvenile. This second significant lost in Ayana’s life
drove her into a free fall and would ultimately result in her callous decision
making behavior and nonchalant attitude towards her children. She went on to
have her last child by a man who did not care for neither his child nor her
other children. Darien felt Ayana during the second trimester and her 10year
old daughter evolved into the second parent in their home. By the time Ayana
delivered the baby and after he turned a year, it was not unusual for her to
retire to her room when she got home from work with her cannabis and beer. These
feelings of irritability, fatigue, and cry for help increased within two years
and comminuted into weekend outings while the kids remained unsupervised.
3rd Client-
Nigerian Man: Nnaemeka came to the United States from south-eastern
Nigerian when he was just 22years old. He settled down at Chicago the windy
city in Illinois State and within six months he was enrolled at the University
of Chicago. His flight out of Nigeria was his first time on a plane and his
first time outside the African continent. At Chicago he stayed with his 32year second
cousin Uche who had been in the city for about 5years. Before coming to the US
his cousin resided in Port-Harcourt the garden city and was more exposed to
Nigerians from different tribes. At the garden city Uche also interacted and
studied with foreigners from neighboring African countries and around the
globe.
Although,
he was with family, Nnaemeka struggled to be conditioned to the cold
environment and the hostility from fellow blacks who used African to connote a
four letter word. Uche consoled him and told him that he was experiencing the
baptism of fire that was synonymous with new African immigrants that have come
to America. He became depressed and longed for the familiarity of his home,
family, and indigenous foods. Then Uche suggested that he Nnaemeka should let
go of his guards, mingle, and possibly go out on dates. But Nnaemeka went on to
apply himself more into his studies on campus and with time found other African
Americans that were more welcoming. In his final year as he worked towards his
convocation for a degree in business administration he began dating an African
American lady who was a junior in the University.
Astonishingly, Uche went on to marry
a lady from Georgia and left the Chicago area for love and better climate.
Nnaemeka was under the impression that they were only going to date American
women but never marry them. In fact, he was opposed to marrying any other
African woman that was not Nigerian and was not from the Igbo ethnicity. He went
on to breakup with Tanya his African American girlfriend after she hinted him
about marriage upon her graduation. After ending the relationship he underwent
depressive episodes, guilt, and extreme frustration. He nearly lost his job as
a business consultant in the private sector. Nnaemeka would go on to date a
Tanzanian lady who promptly introduced him to East African Bongo flava and
cuisine. Barnaba also introduced him to the Swahili language and Nnaemeka
seemed happy for the first time in a long while.
Suddenly, this infusion of joy was
then challenged by his mother and sister who called from Umuahia Nigeria to
inform him that it was time for him to get married and they knew two good
prospects. After several back and forth conversations Nnaemeka flew into
Nigeria got engaged and performed the traditional rites without telling his
girlfriend Barnaba. He held on for one year to prepare the necessary paperwork
for his fiancé because he could not let go of Barnaba who enabled him to
resolve some of his social inhibitions and provided nurturance. Except that the
pressures continued from Nigeria with threats of Nnaemeka getting disowned by
his family if he refused to prepare the necessary paperwork and sponsor his
soon to be wife to the United States.
Eventually,
he broke down to Barnaba and told her all that was happening behind the scene.
Presented with the choice between his heart and his family, his so-called
family emerged victorious and his fiancé Chidora whom he did not know from Adam
arrived in the windy city. She enrolled in nursing school and become a nurse at
Northwestern Memorial Hospital. They started making a family and settled into
the suburbs with their dual income. Their American Dream soon came to an end
after Nnaemeka lost his job in the financial sector and found out that his wife
was not interested in assuming the responsibilities of the breadwinner for even
a day. She was more interested in sending her monies to her parents, brothers,
and sisters in Nigeria who divorced themselves from any personal aspirations of
bettering their situations. The friction became so onerous that Nnaemeka felt inadequate
and moved to the basement. As his depression and hypersensitivity increased he
began to contemplate a cowardice way of fixing his problems.
Nnamdi F. Akwada MSW, BA is a Social Justice Activist
Please for questions and concerns about depression reach out
to a competent clinician and/or clergy.
ReferenceAmerican Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR. Arlington, VA.
