By Jasmin Pierre
We still have a serious issue in the black community when it comes to mental health issues. Even though all races go through mental illness, many black people are still in denial, shame, or lack knowledge on the subject.
Did you know that African Americans living at or below poverty are three times more likely to report serious psychological distress than those living in poverty? We are also 20 percent more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the rest of the general population.
With that being said, we still have a very low rate of going to see a therapist. Many in the black community still believe that mental illness is just a white man’s disease, which is totally untrue.
So I asked myself, “What more could be done about this situation?” I wanted to be a service to my people because – let’s be honest – something more needs to be done. I am happy to announce that I developed an app specifically to bring more light to this issue.
New to Android and iPhone is “The Safe Place,” a minority mental health app geared specifically towards the black community.
The purpose of The Safe Place is to bring more awareness, education and acceptance on the topic of mental health. Not only can the black community benefit from this app, but also mental health professionals, friends, and family of all colors can be better educated on this serious issue and do a service by directing their black friends, co-workers, etc. to this app.
The Safe Place can also be a great learning tool for mental health professionals to better understand their black patients, given our social backgrounds are different and the importance of understanding that aspect.
Some of The Safe Place’s features include:
- Black mental health statistics
- Inspirational black quotes
- Self care tips
- Mental health videos and podcast
- Mental health articles
- Open forum discussions
- And more!
- The app will be up on Google Play for the next three months, and I am currently working on how to pay for the annual fees of the app. If you like The Safe Place and wish to donate to keep it up and running, donate here.
- Jasmin Pierre is a certified peer support specialist, certified Mental Health First Aider, mental health advocate, motivational speaker, author of the self help book “A Fight Worth Finishing”, owner of the recovery-based service “A Fight Worth Finishing”, and app developer of the minority mental health app “The Safe Place.” Jasmin is constantly fighting for the rights of those who live with mental health challenges.
