
EPISODE 12 – From Nigeria to the U.S. — A Journey with Anxiety and Depression

I was also a queer child living in a world where Christianity reigned supreme. If you were gay, you were screwed and you were going to Hell. If you had a mental illness, you were told it was something you learned from white people who were trying to poison your mind; you were lying to get attention.
I also learned that there are no lengths that a community, especially one so marginalized like the black community, will not go through to keep itself perceived as “normal.” They’ll assimilate to seem more mainstream so as not to give oppressors another reason to focus more negativity on them. This allows so many issues to arise and go unfixed. Seeking treatment for mental health issues is horrible, laughable, and only curable with church, a drink, or doing far worse things.
As I pulled myself away from my family and my religion, and educated myself, I realized that I struggled with so much anxiety, depression and sexual confusion that I felt happy to acknowledge it all.

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