Bipolar Faith: A Black Woman’s Journey with Depression and Faith

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In a new memoir, Monica Coleman reflects on the legacies of slavery, poverty, war, and alcoholism, and how these conditions can mask a history of mental illness. At once spiritual autobiography and memoir of madness, Bipolar Faith is the book Dr. Coleman was hoping to find when she was diagnosed with bipolar II, which is characterized by periods of deep depressions balanced by periods of productivity and energy. Moreover, she found precious few memoirs that engage religion and faith in truly constructive ways.

While the taboo around depression in the African-American faith community is diminishing, “I think there are people suffering from depression and bipolar disease who are also striving to maintain their faith. There are few guides or safe places where they can discuss their feelings,” says Coleman. This book is for them and for their allies.

Monica A. Coleman, MDiv, Ph.D., teaches theology and African-American religions at Claremont School of Theology (CST), in Claremont, CA. At CST, she was recently promoted to the position of full professor — making her the first African-American woman full professor at CST. Dr. Coleman is an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and a sought-after speaker and preacher.

Presented in partnership with the Enoch Pratt Free Library.

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Last week, NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore welcomed a delegation of social service providers from the Eastern European country of Belarus. The meeting was arranged through a month-long professional exchange program of The World Trade Center Institute. Members of the delegation provide a range of community health and peer support services in Belarus. They are meeting with non-profits throughout the Maryland and DC region to learn best practices.

NAMI Metro Baltimore staff offered an overview of NAMI’s grassroots model of peer-led education, support, and advocacy programs. Volunteer Coordinator, Julianne Mills, shared the ways in which our more than 220 active volunteers work throughout the community to offer resources, life-saving information, and hope for recovery. Staff exchanged practices and ideas with our guests to help them implement or strengthen volunteer recruitment and training programs in their own non-profit organizations.

Throughout the conversation, both groups recognized a common, yet profound challenge: the impact of stigma. With the aid of interpreters, the group realized that “stigma” is the same word in both the English and Russian language. They spoke at length about the stigma that exists in both cultures and the impact it has on accessing needed support and treatment. The Belarusian delegation shared similar barriers stemming from stigma, including funding and resources, government regulations, and the need for increased public awareness.

NAMI Metro Baltimore Executive Director, Sherry Welch reflects that “we share the same frustration and pain in trying to provide support for those who feel the sting of stigma, while trying to change the larger conversation around the need for understanding and healing, instead of judgment and discrimination.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, gifts, contact information, and hugs were shared. But most importantly, there was the mutual recognition that we are indeed a global community, and it is only through supporting one another that we can change our communities for the better.

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NAMI and Empathy Club leaders introduce the short film Opening Minds.

High school can be a challenging time for any student.  But, for many adolescents, it is also commonly the time of onset for a mental illness. 1 in 5 youth ages 13-18 live with a mental health condition, and yet more than half are not receiving help. Students at the Friends School of Baltimore started the NAMI and Empathy Club to ensure their peers get mental and emotional support when they need it.

Raising awareness and reducing stigma is key to increasing the likelihood that teens seek out mental health care. Club leader, Cloris Feng, hopes to challenge the misconceptions surrounding mental health and says the new student organization aims to “be the first to reach out, so students know help and support is there.” The club worked with school counselor, Kristy Norbert, and then reached out to NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore to find ways to get students and teachers talking about the issue.

Last month, the club hosted a school-wide assembly to start the mental health conversation. Students viewed Opening Minds: Ending Stigma, A Young Person’s Perspective, a short film that explores the signs of mental illness and how to seek support through personal stories. Warning signs of a mental health condition can include significant changes in behavior or mood for more than 2 weeks, trouble sleeping, or worries or fears about daily activities.  The film shows that mental health conditions are more than just the blues, and affect one’s thinking, feelings or mood, and ability to function.

Following the assembly, students met in their advisory groups with a teacher or counselor for small group discussions about the film. Kristy, who led an advisory group of 8 students, found that many of the teens were surprised to learn the statistics. Advisory groups were then engaged to find ways to make changes at school. Groups had many ideas, including enhancing the “freshman-senior buddy” peer mentor program and creating spaces for students to openly discuss their feelings and experiences.

The next week, students had the opportunity to continue the conversation over lunch.  The group was able to hear stories of mental illness from two NAMI In Our Own Voice presenters who are individuals living in recovery. Students also had the opportunity to ask the presenters questions, providing a deeper understanding of what it is like to live with a mental illness.

Discussing what a teen is experiencing and feeling with others is an important step to getting help. Cloris and fellow club members hope that students will be able to find a trusted person to talk with if they are experiencing mental health challenges. In the coming months, the NAMI and Empathy Club will continue to increase awareness and build safe and caring spaces at the Friends School. The club members are planning a project to post notes with kind and encouraging messages around the school.  The club is also looking forward to forming a NAMIWalks team to increase awareness and challenge stigma not only at school, but also in their community.

Learn more about children and adolescent mental health.

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Last year, NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore volunteers, Thelma Martin, Deneice Valentine and I had the opportunity to meet with senior adults experiencing depression through a research grant at Johns Hopkins.  Through eight weekly one-on-one sessions, we helped the seniors to gain better coping skills and a more positive self-image.

Thelma, Deneice and I are long time NAMI Connections Recovery Support Group facilitators.  We drew upon our experience with the peer support group in our mentoring work.  We found that while we made a positive impact with the seniors involved, eight weeks was just not sufficient.  We further saw that these mentees had a lot to offer each other and, for many, they could use an expanded social network.

We worked with NAMI Metro Baltimore to start a NAMI Connections group specifically for senior adults aged 55 or older.  The support group creates a safe, confidential space for seniors to discuss issues, and to share challenges and successes specific to their age group.

The senior NAMI Connections support group has discussed a whole range of issues including finances, living arrangements, clutter, not wanting to get out of bed in the morning, feelings of failure, grief and illness.   Really, it is difficult to think of an issue that has not arisen.

As the group participants are all dealing with mental illness as well as aging, they are able to understand each other and share lived experiences.  Healthy aging involves the body and the mind. Depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions are not just part of the aging process, but rather are medical conditions that affect one’s thinking, feeling, and ability to function.  The  World Health Organization finds that 15% of senior adults over the age of 60 are living with mental illness.

In weekly support group meetings, seniors offer each other practical suggestions and resources.  New people coming into the group are immediately made to feel welcome.  Each person is given the opportunity to bring up an issue they have been dealing with recently.  The other members of the group then share their commonality as they describe ways they have dealt with similar circumstances.  This sharing of group wisdom not only helps people become better able to cope with their everyday challenges, it also shows them they are not alone.  What they are feeling is often normal for others in their same age group.

As a peer facilitator for the support group, I am often struck by the fact that I get more than I give.  My role in NAMI Connections support groups has given me many life lessons as well as aiding me in my path to recovery.  Most of all, I feel ‘the same as’ the other people in the support group.  I feel accepted and in turn accept the others.  Through NAMI Connections, I have found my home away from home.

Sandy Paluzzi has volunteered with NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore since 2007.  She provides support to individuals living with mental illness as a NAMI Connection Support Group facilitator, and shares her story of recovery as an In Our Own Voice Presenter.

Attend the NAMI Connections Support Group for Seniors

The support group is free and any senior adult living with mental illness is welcome to attend.

Every Wednesday, 2-3:30pm
The Weinberg Building at Stadium Place
1020 E. 33^rd Street, Baltimore, MD 21218

Learn more about NAMI’s peer education and support programs.

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