Mental Health issues don’t discriminate

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - The world wonders why former Miss USA Chelsie Kryst took her own life this past weekend. It appeared the 30-year-old had it all. Her death is a painful reminder for people like social justice advocate Diana Patton, whose brother died by suicide in 1994.

Patton says there’s a stigma in the black community when it comes to mental health. “What goes on in this house stays in his house. We don’t talk about these issues or we simply just need to pray it away. I believe in the power of prayer but I also believe in moving past these issues. We’re seeing the result of George Floyd and all of the racial trauma we endured for so long manifesting.”

Patton encourages people to embrace conversations about mental health before it’s too late. But are there warning signs?

“There are very few situations where someone chooses to end their life and everyone says we thought this was going to happen,” says Erin Wiley, a licensed counselor. “It’s a surprise that no one expects. So our energies are best put into checking in with people and making sure that they’re stable and doing well when we know that they are having a hard time and getting them to therapy or counseling when they’re not.”

“It’s something that I now look back and I see my brother’s journals,” says Patton. “It was all there. It was all there.”

Experts say we must stay vigilant. It could save a life.

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