One man’s story of depression
Pervis Taylor III, a life coach and author from New York City, had a tough start in life. Before he was an adult, Taylor was bullied and molested, and his father passed away at a young age from a heroin overdose. Taylor said he now thinks his father had undiagnosed mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder from serving in Vietnam.
When Taylor became depressed, he didn’t know what resources were available to him and it never even occurred to him to reach out to mental health professionals for help.
“When I was in my 20s, I thought therapy was taboo. I didn’t know the benefits of therapy. And, being a man in our society, you’re not supposed to go to therapy or have emotions, and being a black man on top of that, you think you can pray it away,” Taylor said.
Taylor — now 39 — eventually did get therapy, and now he tries to help other people see the value in sharing their stories with others.
“Stories help build connections. When I tell people that I get therapy, it can be a first step in helping make therapy attractive to them. People think, ‘If you made it through, I can make it, too,'” Taylor said.
Cost and access to mental health care professionals are additional barriers to mental health treatment.