It’s a common misconception that people’s circumstances dictate their mental health. Many believe once they get the life they’ve always wanted — like landing their dream job or moving away from the town they dislike — that all of their mental health problems will disappear.
Elyse Fox, filmmaker and founder of Sad Girls Club, thought the same thing when she scored an incredible media job with ABC. “I thought that all my problems would be solved,” she recalls. “I quickly realized that that didn’t make me happy. Nothing actually made me happy for a long time. It was always just temporary fulfillment.”
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Suicide increases in 2021 after two years of decline.
Gary, F.A. (2005). Stigma: barrier to mental health care among ethnic minorities. Issues in Mental Health Nursing.
National Institute of Mental Health. (2023). Frequently asked questions about suicide.
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.). Identity and cultural dimensions: Black/African American.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health. Mental and behavioral health - African Americans.
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