MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Mental health experts, advocates and religious leaders gathered in Memphis Wednesday for the Suicide and the Black Church Conference to spark awareness of mental illness in the African-American community.
The conference has been meeting since 2003, but leaders told WREG there was still a great need to break the culture of silence surrounding these issues in black churches.
The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services cited recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that stated suicide was the 16th leading cause of death for African Americans of all ages.
“I knew there was something wrong, and I couldn’t get any help,” said parent Tanya Waldon.
Waldon said even medical experts did not see the warning signs that her son needed help.
“In college sophomore year, he attempted suicide via gunshot to the head,” Waldon told WREG.
Waldon said her son survived but continues to deal with brain injuries.
Waldon made the trip from Atlanta with her psychologist for the conference.
“It’s a taboo. People have not talked about it. People refuse to talk about,” said Waldon’s psychologist, Dr. Sherry Blake, referring to mental health issues in black churches.
“The black pastor is the epicenter of what goes on in many cases,” explained Dr. Gerald Durley, a psychologist and pastor.
He said many issues African Americans face were factors that could lead to suicide.
“Depression stems from a lot of hopelessness, and in the society that we live in now where poverty, where poor education, where illness is so profound, hopelessness abounds. So, in the African American community, this is something that we’ve really got to look at,” Durley said.
Durley explained that Memphis is a great city to host these discussions, because he believed it is a metropolitan area the rest of the country is watching, like Ferguson or Baltimore.
People at the conference told WREG they hoped faith leaders take these messages back to the pews.
The conference is at the University of Tennessee Student Alumni Center on Madison.
It continues Thursday.
