Suicide leaves scars, not the stain of sin
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Suicide leaves scars, not the stain of sin

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and every September I hear that suicide is the unforgivable sin. As a minister and theologian, I understand the rationale. It goes something like this: Sin is doing something that offends God. It is the pride of trying to be God. And murder is a sin. Because that’s what…

Interview with Dr. Wizdom Powell Hammond
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Interview with Dr. Wizdom Powell Hammond

This Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, I’m interviewing Wizdom Powell Hammond, Assistant Professor of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  I met Wizdom Powell years ago at a conference. We quickly realized that we had several friends in common, and we starting chatting about work in…

4 Black Church Resources That Can Help People Living with Depression
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4 Black Church Resources That Can Help People Living with Depression

Most churches could do a lot more to support people who live with mental illnesses. Many Christian teachings link health, wealth and faith in ways that can make anyone having a bad day feel like God has abandoned them. This feels all the more injurious to someone living with a mental-health challenge. This becomes particularly…

Life Support
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Life Support

As I came to accept that depression would be a part of life, I started to read about strategies for living successfully with depression. I connected with various advocacy organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Depression Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), Mental Health America (MHA).  I read the latest data and research –…