Black men in higher education are facing a mental health epidemic. This is exacerbated by Black male students having a higher risk for depression and anxiety, with suicide being the third leading cause of death for college-aged Black men, as stated by the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and the National Alliance for Mental Illness.

According to the NAMI, approximately 21.4% of African American adults 18 or older have some form of mental illness in the United States. Black men, in particular, are less likely to seek formal medical assistance, despite the increased risk.

A study published in the National Institute of Medicine states that as Black men enter college the risk of suicide and mental health disorders increases. This can have detrimental effects on an individual’s health and academic success.

Amongst those is Kevin Berthia, a 42-year-old suicide survivor and advocate who created the Kevin Berthia Foundation to connect people with mental health resources.

Berthia said he wanted to help the Black community by creating spaces and spreading resources for those who are facing mental hardship. He said he wants these spaces to provide a listening ear and also create an action plan for people to continue to heal.

“Depression is a human condition; suicide ideation is a human condition,” Berthia said. “I need you to love yourself enough to know that you deserved it, for everyone to see you get better.”

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Valdy Ngassam, a junior majoring in political science, said that there is a difference in the way mental health is handled through high school, community college and universities. He said that higher education is not built around the needs of people of color and those with disabilities.

“At first, I thought initially it was only me in my situation. Then, there's the background of [being] a person of color,” Ngassam said. “Anti-Blackness is an example of the type of thing I have to face every day. Honestly, it’s been a lot.”

According to the American Psychological Association, Black men face a unique set of issues that contribute to worsening mental health, such as systemic and institutional racism.

As a result, medical spaces tend to lack the cultural context of mental health within the Black community. This, along with less accessibility to the same resources as white people, puts Black men at a disadvantage.

Amon Assemian is a junior majoring in studio art. Assemian said he suffers from depression and anxiety.

He said that he manages day-to-day by exercising self care, doing activities he enjoys and taking prescription medication.

Assemian said he experiences feelings of failure, feeling hopelessness and not doing enough. He said the expectations of being a student and seeking employment has made it harder to manage his mental health.

“Depression [can] make it difficult to concentrate on a lot of my assignments,” Assemian said. “Just to step onto the campus makes it challenging sometimes.”

One of the barriers to mental health assistance is cultural stigmatization and preconceptions of masculine norms. Berthia said that community and personal shame make it difficult to talk about mental struggles within the Black community and heal as a whole.

“Especially in the Black community, it was something that you went to church and prayed about. It was something that our community couldn't have,” Berthia said. “I remember things being said like, ‘it was the white man's disease.’ So it was something that you, culturally, didn't think that you can get just because you were Black.”

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Ngassam identifies as disabled and said that fighting both racism and ableism while maintaining his studies has been difficult, when it comes to his mental health. He said that dealing with systemic discrimination and social stereotypes has become a part of everyday life.

“Being a normal student is hard as it is. Everything is critical,” Ngassam said. “It’s an uphill battle. Then, on top of that, it’s like you can’t make a mistake.”

According to another study published in NLM, Black college-aged men are less likely to seek formal treatment for mental health concerns, such as therapy or medication. The study says there is a need for more accessible resources that can relate to and represent the specific needs of minority groups.

“The fact that we have commercials, billboards, T-shirts and all these things nowadays, and it's still a stigma. It's crazy,” Berthia said. “Years ago, it [was] something that we just didn't talk about.”

Assemian said he has come to realize that he is allowed to express his emotions, especially after being raised in an environment where mental illness has been stigmatized. Both Assemian and Berthia said that growing up, showing those emotions was perceived as weakness.

“Getting out of high school, I’ve slowly started to understand that it's okay to have emotions, to feel things,” Assemian said. “It's ok to cry. Nobody is going to judge you; that’s part of being human.”

Both Assemian and Ngassam say they have been able to manage their mental health through various coping mechanisms. Ngassam said that, though he manages well with therapy, it is still hard to seek help and accommodations.

“I am creating the example, not just for me, but for everyone that comes after me,” Ngassam said.

Additional reporting done by Cheryl Howard