Episode 26: Dissecting the Black Condition – Black Men Are Bipolar

Today we’re discussing deeper issues of class, betrayal, and subjugation among Black people.

Around the world, Black men and women share a combination of core beliefs and experiences, though our cultures are very different. Among Black men, however, there exists a consistent set of attitudes and behaviors that are deeply ingrained.

There are roughly the same rates of bipolar disorder among Black people as there are in other racial groups. However, Black men often face disparities in mental health care, including underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis. And due to cultural influence and self-neglect, many of them ignore their symptoms and develop a permanent distrust of the health care system.

The Black Condition

Class and Emotional Well-being

Class is a critical factor in understanding the emotions of Black people.

Black men who achieve a higher-class status face different challenges than Black men who don’t. Tokenism and the pressure to represent their race is common.

Among Black people, Black women also feel these pressures. But many of our cultures demand that we conceal this as to not emasculate our men.

Black men increasingly believe Black women are either far more inferior or more advantaged than they are. They are highly reductive of Black women and interpret much of how we look, feel, act, think, and speak as an affront to the personas they’ve adopted.

Economic hardship not only impacts our mental health directly but influences the quality of our relationships. Financial stress causes relationship conflict, and many couples end their relationships over disagreements about money and how to use it.

The Role of Betrayal in Black Relationships

One of the most prevalent feelings felt among Black women is a sense of betrayal toward Black men who avoid managing their own emotional and mental health.

When Black men openly disrespect, objectify, and devalue us for their gain, this sense of having our needs betrayed is compounded by the expectation of racial loyalty not being met. Aside from the immaturity and emotionally abusive turmoil that results, a cultural cycle of mistrust makes it harder for any of us to reach common ground.

Black Men Are Bipolar

The prevalence of bipolar disorder in Black men is an important yet understudied area.

This information for Black men can be hard to find due to a lack of consistent data and sampling methods for Black male populations, and the prevalence of misinformation online. The claim that Black men are bipolar is not something I take lightly.

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition characterized by significant mood swings. These mood swings cause emotional highs (called mania or hypomania) and emotional lows (or depression). Such drastic shifts cause episodes that differ from the normal ups and downs everyone faces. These episodes can severely impact someone’s life, though they may go unnoticed if you’ve normalized their mood swings as their personality.

Common Environmental Factors: Black boys and men routinely find themselves in traumatizing environments. In these environments, their vulnerabilities and emotional stability are radically challenged.

These environments typically include:
- An exposure to violence or crime.
- An exposure to hypersexualization, sexual content or abusers.
- An exposure to strict or extreme religious beliefs.
Common Psychological Factors: Some personality traits and coping mechanisms common among Black men can prompt the onset of bipolar disorder.
- In my experience, Black men as a group tend to cope with stress and conflict in several ways that have become culturally acceptable, but are also indicators of possible bipolar disorder:
  –
  - Leaving or withdrawing
  - Deflecting
  - Shutting down
  - Sexual activity
  - Detachment

Understanding how the Black men in your life cope with pain, joy, and distress can help you avoid having to rebuild your life after a disaster with them.

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

Again, bipolar disorder is defined by distinct episodes of mania and depression.

Manic Episode Symptoms:

Elevated or irritable mood: He seems unusually high, euphoric, or irritable for an extended period.
Grandiosity: He has an exaggerated sense of importance.
Decreased need for sleep: He feels fine after only a few hours of sleep.
Impulsivity: He engages in risky behaviors such as spending sprees, sexual indiscretions, or reckless driving.
Distractibility: He has difficulty maintaining his attention and is easily distracted.

Depressive Episode Symptoms:

Persistent sad or empty mood: He’s been feeling sad, empty, or hopeless for a prolonged period.
Loss of interest: He’s lost interest in many things and derives almost no pleasure in anything, including activities he once enjoyed.
Sleep disturbances: He sleeps too much, or he doesn’t sleep enough.
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt: Withdrawing due to excessive or inappropriate feelings of worthlessness.

Because they feel worthless, many Black men also see themselves as helpless, which in turn produces feelings of guilt.

Bipolarity in Black Men

The prevalence of bipolar disorder in Black men must be studied more closely. Due to mistrust, Black men often opt-out of the mental healthcare system.

Black Men & Bipolar Disorder

Prevalence Rates: Studies show that rates of bipolar disorder among Black people are roughly the same as in other racial groups. However, Black people, are often misdiagnosed (or go undiagnosed) more often. And specific prevalence rates for Black men often are not separately reported.
Diagnosis and Misdiagnosis: Due to cultural stereotypes, bipolar disorder symptoms in Black men are sometimes misinterpreted as schizophrenia or personality disorders.
Access to Treatment: Black men can face barriers to accessing mental health care services, including financial factors, stigma, and distrust. These obstacles can delay needed diagnoses and treatment.
Other cultural Factors: Cultural perceptions of getting treatment can influence how Black men seek help and adhere to their mental health treatment plans.

Building Healthier Relationships

How do we understand and support Black men’s mental health and emotional well-being?

We can care about them from a distance until they get their shit together. They may never get their shit together, so you need to be prepared for that.

In many cases, the best contact might become no contact.

Empathy could bridge the gap between Black men and women. Do you agree?

Sure.

Many Black men, however, lack the self-awareness that empathy requires. Many Black men also do not prefer you. Having men who behave with a profound lack of empathy is dangerous for any woman, but prevalent in many Black communities.

So, let whoever wants to take him off your hands have him. Your future self will thank you.

Reflections on Self and Pain

Identity and Comparison

The Black Condition: Every Black person at some point fears having another Black person compare them to a spoiled white child.
The Black Condition: For many Black people, at least one of our formative relationships has been impacted by betrayal.
The Black Condition: For many Black people, our spirituality becomes our mental health outlet.
Many Black men share a combination of environmental and psychological factors that contribute to bipolar disorder.

Bipolarity in Black Men

Many Black boys and men have become impulsive, distractable, and grandiose in their emotional relationships with Black women.
Due to living in cultures that devalue Blackness and their own lack of self-actualization, Black men struggle with excessive feelings of worthlessness and guilt.