Posted by Amber Chang
Arvin Temkar’s blog post, “Suffering in the Dark,” highlights the necessity of bringing awareness to people of color suffering from mental health. Temkar brings awareness to the issue through the new book released by Bruce Springsteen titled Born to Run. The book describes Springsteen’s journey through clinical depression. Temkar explains that although it is still very important for white people in the media such as Springsteen, to speak up about their mental health issues it is also very vital to represent other minority groups who are also experiencing the same struggles. Temkar’s emphasis on representation is very crucial to culture and how certain racial groups interact with these issues. TV shows like “My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” have started to portray their characters with mental illness. This gives viewers who are struggling with anxiety or depression validation that they are not the only ones who have this illness. But not all generations share the same viewpoint of mental illness. Some of the older generation, typically those from foreign backgrounds don’t view therapy as a treatable solution for mental illness. But one way this perceived conception around mental illness can be broken down is through accurate representation of all minorities. Temkar concludes his post with a hopeful note that more people of color will come forward and share their stories.