Brovember: Mental Health Awareness

Red’s Groomed Man BROVEMBER campaign is designed to raise awareness and help change the stereotype of mental health illness within the communities of men of color.

Beards are a statement of strength and knowledge, and a great way to get the conversation about mental illness started. Reds Groomed Man will encourage all men to say goodbye to their razors until November 19, 2020, to help raise awareness about the mental health crisis that isn’t being talked about and encourage men to start talking about the real issues.

Mental illness has long been stigmatized, and even as society is working to eliminating the negative stereotypes associated with it, men and even more so men of color continue to suffer in silence.

1 in 5 Americans, despite race, will suffer from depression in any given year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

The National Alliance on Mental illness also reports that black Americans are 20% more likely to serious psychological distress than white Americans.

Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of deaths among black Americans ages under 19 y/o and the 4th leading cause for black Americans ages 20-44, according to the CDC.

Black men are 4xs more likely than black women to die from suicide.

Less than half of all Americans with a mental disorder get the treatment that they need. But the proportion of black Americans who need mental health treatment and get it is only half that of white Americans.

Their suffering goes unnoticed for many reasons.

Black Americans are less likely to have health insurance.

Black Americans are less likely to receive an accurate mental health diagnosis and, for those who are diagnosed with depression, less likely to receive treatment than their white counterparts are.

Cultural mistrust of mental health professionals and health care professionals, in general, is common in the African American community.

Only a small proportion of mental health professionals are black.

And yet, there are so many extra risk factors for black men than there are for white men.

Men of all races have a hard time asking for help than their female counterparts, but black men have other significant risk factors. They have more exposure to violence and poverty, fewer economic opportunities and high rates of incarceration.

These increased factors black men experience can be indirectly and directly linked to racism. However, it is also important to note, that racism itself is a cause of depression and anxiety in black Americans. This has been acknowledged by many government offices and mental health care professionals and organizations.

There are also many groups working to change how the black community, especially black men, view mental health, depression and seeking help. Organizations like The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, founded by Taraju P. Henson to honor her father who suffered from mental and emotional challenges due to his tour in Vietnam.

There is also the Philadelphia based foundation, that Reds Groomed Man is supporting this year, The Black Brain Campaign. The Black Brain Campaign was co-founded by Farida E. Boyer, LMFT and Jaynay C. Johnson, MFT. They work to eradicate the stigma of mental health care in the black community through education and advocacy.

Reds Groomed Man understands how important mental health is for all people. This Brovember, Reds Groomed Man will be donating $5 from every beard product purchase to The Black Brain Campaign and encourages you to help!