5 TV shows that shine a light on Black mental health

Tackling Black mental health on TV can be challenging: television shows often lack diversity and typically don’t look thoroughly at uniquely Black experiences.

Few series do a good job of responsibly showcasing the scope of mental illness for Black characters, including accurately depicting race-based traumatic stress. But when done correctly, these portrayals can shine a light on mental illness and spark much needed dialogue around the stigma surrounding these illnesses.

These five shows do an excellent job of showing viewers that trauma is not one size fits all. From impassioned portrayals of anxiety to candid conversations about bipolar disorder, these TV programmes offer moving, complex images of Black mental health.

WATCH: Dr. Rheeda Walker on her book 'The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health'

[video_embed id='2125920']WATCH: Dr. Rheeda Walker on her book 'The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health'[/video_embed]

1. Dear White People

Black people often have to bear the burden of racism on top of stress, anxiety and other mental health issues. Dear White People explores how these issues collide in a college setting, with several episodes highlighting Reggie's (Marque Richardson) rocky mental health after an incident of police brutality. Grappling with anxiety after a campus officer pulls a gun on him, Reggie breaks down in tears, hunched over and sobbing on his dorm room floor.

The aftermath plays out in the second season as he has trouble sleeping, concentrating, and has flashbacks of the officer, which cause him emotional distress. He tries to drink away his memories, attempts therapy, and finally expresses himself in a documentary about race and oppression.

The show accurately shows the intersectionality of mental health, and how it can be twice as difficult for Black men to navigate it while also facing the threat of being killed by police.

2. This is Us

Since the very first episode, This Is Us has highlighted how Randall (Sterling K. Brown), the adopted sibling in The Big Three has navigated years of emotional turbulence, including being abandoned at birth, the death of both his birth and adoptive fathers, the alienation in being the only Black Pearson, and more.

Viewers have seen him push himself to the point of a breakdown in pursuit of perfection, taking on more responsibility than he can handle. This is why it comes as both a shock and a relief when he finally goes to therapy for his anxiety in season four after years of avoidance. The show deftly dives into his battles with generational trauma and Randall’s therapist helps him address issues with his mother that have been bubbling beneath the surface his entire life. The sessions can be frustrating to watch, but they demonstrate how therapy is not always easy, as it takes time for him to realize many feelings he had pushed aside.

3. Insecure

Insecure always delivers on laughs, but Issa Rae proves she can handle sensitive topics with equal prowess when her character confronts a love interest in the fourth season. After ghosting and disappearing for a month, Nathan (Kendrick Sampson) re-enters Issa’s life with a surprising explanation for his behaviour: he was depressed and coming to terms with a bipolar disorder diagnosis.

As with many mental illnesses, Nathan struggles to find the right words to explain what he went through. But the scene is powerful for that exact reason: despite the stigma around having such an open conversation, it’s an important one that is not usually shown so candidly on TV.

Nathan’s words reveal a simple moment of courage and transparency, as he explains he feared being labelled crazy. With that honesty, Issa is able to come to terms with his behaviour and reacts with compassion and kindness so that they can heal and remain friends.

4. I May Destroy You

Michaela Coel created, wrote, directed and starred in I May Destroy You, giving an unflinching look into the emotional layers of sexual assault trauma. When Arabella (Coel) is drugged and raped after a night out, she experiences PTSD as she tries to piece together her foggy memories of the evening and get justice. She goes through the motions of semi-denial to coming to terms with her abuse and seeing a therapist.

Coel gives a heart-wrenching, but also witty performance to show Arabella’s complexity. Arabella is more than a traumatized victim, and the show fleshes out who she is as a friend, a daughter and as a Black woman, all while she attempts to track down her attacker. Using dark humour to explore a horrific experience, the show doesn’t hold back with its multifaceted analysis of survival and triumph.

5. Euphoria

It’s no wonder Zendaya won an Emmy for her complicated and sensitive portrayal of Rue, an on-again, off-again drug addict. Rue self-medicates to cope with her anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder (and likely bipolar disorder), all while figuring out the ups and downs of teenagehood.

Euphoria succeeds at portraying the intricate nature of mental health by fully diving into Rue’s highs and lows in a way that doesn’t glamorize her mania or shy away from her depressive spirals. It allows for a full scope of the happy, tender moments—like those she shares with her friend/girlfriend Jules (Hunter Schafer)—while also embracing the uncomfortable, desperate gravity of her substance abuse when her illness triumphs over her logic.

When it comes to mental health, every action counts! Join the conversation on Bell Let’s Talk Day, January 28, and help create positive change for those living with mental health issues. For every text message, mobile or long-distance call made by Bell, Bell Aliant and Bell MTS customers, Bell will donate five cents to Canadian mental health initiatives. The same goes for every tweet or TikTok video with the hashtag #BellLetsTalk, watching the Bell Let’s Talk Day video on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat or TikTok, or using the Bell Let’s Talk Facebook frame or Snapchat filter. But that’s just the first step: Visit letstalk.bell.ca for more ways you can effect change and build awareness around mental health.

BEFORE YOU GO: Bracelet allows people to let their coworkers know how their feeling that day or moment

[video_embed id='2121529']BEFORE YOU GO: Bracelet allows people to let their coworkers know how their feeling that day or moment[/video_embed]