#MentalHealthCheck The oddest times are officially amongst us my friends and through this wild ride come wild thoughts. Thoughts that have probably clouded your mind prior to the chaos. Hip Hop Enthusiast, Sneaker Aficionado and Black Girl Pod affiliate the renown Deanni ‘Scottie Beam’ Scott, does not back down from a challenge. Today she stood up to the podium with the help of Licensed Medical Professional Dr. Joy, a therapist and a woman of many hats to tackle on the hazy challenges of Suicidal Ideation.
According to a 2018 article in Medical News Today Suicidal Ideation ranges from: having the idea of suicide, possibly thinking or planning the act, having a fleeting consideration, ultimately ‘Does not include the final act of Suicide’.
Dr. Joy is the founder of Therapyforblackgirls.com a network of professionals who make it their mission to make mental health more accessible and relevant for Black Women. Scottie Beam an advocate for mental health awareness joined forces with Dr. Joy to debunk misconceptions surrounding Suicidal Ideation that can serve as a simple guideline to help those experiencing the trauma.
Tips From Scottie Beam and Therapist Dr. Joys Instagram Live Chat:
Be Gentle With Yourself
Allow yourself to feel the emotion. While the over flow of emotions have taken over, you can find distraction in disengagement from the thought through engaging in another activity. Diving into comfort activities such as Journaling, music, reading, etc. can slowly bring you back into a purpose filled state of mind.
When Beam asked ‘Is there an actual way to mute it (the thought)?’ Dr. Joy responded with a solution that can help with the transition of thought processing. Dr. Joy stated :
Eliminate the stressers in your life.
Personally, it may be easier said than done, but it also may save your sanity. It’s worth the try.
Joy continued: Above all, seek the medical attention/help that you need in order to directly treat the depression and anxiety.
In terms to support and community, Scottie asked how can those around us, offer a helping hand during times of mental distress?
Community/ Support:
Dr. Joy pointed out that minimizing the circumstance or thought of another is the number one enemy; Respond to the person affected seriously.
The situation/feelings should be acknowledged and should not be joked with. A key solution in offering support can also be speaking on the topic itself.
If you are having suicidal ideations, speaking to another about their thoughts on death or the topic itself can be a way of liberation from judgement surrounding the thought. The more you speak on what is clouding your mind the clearer your space gets.
Dr. Joy encourages us to searching for ways to help those who may suffer from mental illness, anxieties, Suicidal Ideations during social distancing/ Quarantine by:
Connecting with your friends, family, those important to you first and foremost.
Do not allow physical isolation to fully isolate you. Allow yourself to reach out and connect with other so that when you need that in return your tribe is there awaiting.
Substance / Vices to Escape:
A very important point Dr. Joy also touched on is Substance abuse during this time of isolation and its effects in adding risk towards increasing these thoughts. Removing the means from your physical space, or entrusting another to do so can be a key preventer in harming yourself.
Dr. Joy ended on a wholesome note that I myself will carry through the remainder of this Quarantine:
“Be Gentle with yourself. We are all doing the best we can.”
Resources provided during the Chat:
Tharapists: Therapyforblackgirls.com
National Suicide Prevention Line: 1800273TALK
Crisis Line: Text: Tribe to 741741
Thank You Scottie Beam for opening up the doors and taking on an important topic to be tackled!
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