Kayla L.

Cosby
Hampton University
Virginia-Cleveland Hall Rm C1
Hampton, VA 23668
November 10, 2016
Dr. Joshua A. Gordon
Director
National Institute of Mental Health
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 6200, MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
Dear Dr. Gordon:
First, let me start of by saying congratulations for being appointed the new Director of the
National Institute of Mental Health this past September. As you probably already know, raising
awareness for mental health is extremely important since it can sometimes be a topic that can be
forgotten about at times. But did you know it can be even more of a neglected topic when it
comes to minorities, especially within African-American communities? Many youth are raised
on the notion, or stigma, that being black and having a mental illness are simply two things that
dont, or CANT go together.
Many say that this stigma regarding African-Americans opposing attitudes towards
acknowledging mental health in their community is heavily linked back to slavery times. Back
in the day, blacks had pretty much no access whatsoever to people or places where they could
seek assistance for all types of medical issues. So, they learned how to take care of their own
problems by their selves. In a lot of cases, even today, being black with a mental illness
classifies you as crazy, which simply isnt the case in most cases. Nowadays, its common to
hear this as a black teen: What do you have to be depressed about? What bills are you paying?
Many parents still believe in the stigma they were raised on: that problems that you are dealing
with are dealt with internally or within the family. Seeking outside help is considered wrong
because one is therefore acknowledging the possibility of a mental illness being diagnosed.
I propose that NIMH sponsors a new campaign that brings awareness to the importance of
addressing mental illnesses within the African-American community. This can be done so
through several social media outlets by composing an easy to read fact sheet or article that
includes some facts on minorities and mental health. A hashtag can be paired with the post as
well, something like: #StoptheStigma or #BlackMentalHealthMatters. Another idea would be to
encourage black youth who are dealing or have dealt with mental illness to post about their
experiences and discuss how they feel about the situation. Two great things can happen here;
awareness can be raised regarding mental health among minorities and this can be one of the first
great projects you produce as the new director.
Sincerely,
Kayla L. Cosby

Works Cited
"Black & African American Communities and Mental Health." Mental Health America. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
Snowden, Lonnie R. "Barriers to Effective Mental Health Services for African Americans."
National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of
Medicine,

2001. Articles. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.