The issue of mental health is something that has long been stigmatized in the black community. Only in recent years have we as a society done the work to begin to reverse all the years of trauma inflicted on our community, but there is still a very long way to go.
Rapper G Herbo is a celebrity who has always been very transparent with fans about his mental health struggles. In light of recent racial tension and unrest across the country, G Herbo has teamed up with Audiomack, alongside the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and InnoPsych, to start a new mental health initiative called Swervin’ Through Stress, Bossip reports.
The Swervin’ Through Stress’ Dream Team Therapy Fund, is a nationwide initiative that aims to provide 12 weeks of free therapy to Black youth between the ages of 18-25. In addition to the therapy sessions, there will also be hotline monitored by professionals–provided by NAMI and InnoPsych will use their resources to help match patients with adequate therapists.
In a conversation with MTV about his most recent album, ‘PTSD,’ Herbo talked about his anxiety and seeking therapy. “I think it was important for me to talk to somebody who’s never been through the stuff that you been through,” the rapper said. “Talking to my therapist, I was telling her certain stuff, and she couldn’t believe it. I was so nervous during my first therapy session that I cracked my ID in half. She told me, ‘You have PTSD.’”
“I had to really, like, get naked with her in a sense,” he explained. “Every day I left out the house, I really felt like I was going to die or just go to jail for protecting myself. It’s important to just talk to somebody. A lot of times, we’ll block that intuition in the back of our head because we’re desensitized by it, and we think its normal. She was there to tell me, ‘No, it’s not normal.”
If you or someone you know is interested in any of the services provided by the initiative, visit swervinthroughstress.com
