The brutalization of black bodies is now a form of repetitive trauma. The highly publicized killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, recorded and shared on multiple social media outlets (many of which include autoplay on videos), only reinforced the onslaught of violence and made it inescapable. For young black people, the visibility of this violence only reinforces the idea that the black body is up for consumption. It can be viewed, manipulated, desecrated, and even legally murdered, again and again.
But watching and reading about these deaths doesn’t address the long-lingering aftermath of systemic, racialized trauma. Trauma does not merely go away. Self-care is not just a buzzword. In a time when all facets of life — from the good to the bad — can be accessed through legitimate news sources and social media streams, accessing mental health resources is a vital method for coping with trauma. Unfortunately, the stigmatization of mental health is very real, especially in the black community.
A 2008 study found that more than one-third of African-Americans actively seeking treatment believe talking about their anxiety would lead to them being called "crazy" by their peers. In general, mental health issues are rarely discussed in the black community. This disparity encourages a people to internalize their concerns and creates a cyclical denial of mental health issues.
[For more of this story, written by Britt Julious, go to http://www.teenvogue.com/story...esources-black-teens]
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