Dealing with Mental Health
~ Pre and Post COVID ~
by Dr. Marchette Richardson-Smith
Copa Style Magazine Events Correspondent
May is Mental Health Month, established in 1949. Mental Health Month aims to increase awareness of trauma and its impact on children, families, and communities physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Pre-COVID-19, about one in five adults, had a mental illness. The pandemic gravely affected the state of mental health in our country and made mental illness even more common. To date, rarely is a family not touched by a mental health condition. This increase in mental instability correlates to individuals' work constraints, which lead to financial distress. Other variables connected to the rise in mental illness include individuals' inability to seek support from loved ones and engage in their communities. Loneliness, fear of infection, worrying about one's mortality, and grieving the loss of friends and family are additional stressors that impact societal mental health.
Post-pandemic, fifty million people reported experiencing some form of mental illness, and 55% of those individuals reported not receiving treatment. Mental health disorders include anxiety, depression, seasonal affective disorder, and more severe conditions such as bipolar disorder, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Determining when a loved one is struggling with mental illness can be difficult for those not trained to detect such things. In addition, many adults neglect to seek help for their conditions because they believe such matters should be dealt with privately; they are worried about confidentiality and do not want to be confronted by stigmas related to mental illness.
Nicole Linton
Mental illness is not selective. The disorders impact people from varying socioeconomic backgrounds and cultures. Mental illness is not warded off because of your academic experiences. Nor does it matter if you are musically inclined, a renowned actor, or a famous designer. These disorders run the gamut, from Yale to jail. Many of us recall Nicole Linton, the 37-year-old traveling nurse who sped through a traffic light (August 2022) in Los Angeles, killing six people. The family has reported that Nicole has bipolar disorder, which her co-workers never noticed. Having a clinical background has put me in a position to work with various client populations in numerous settings. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, I looked back at some well-known individuals who lost their lives due to untreated mental illness, substance abuse, or both. The two disorders are often linked.
Stephen Laurel "tWitch" Boss
Stephen Laurel "tWitch" Boss (September 29, 982 – December 13, 2022) was an American freestyle hip-hop dancer, choreographer, actor, television producer, and television personality. In 2008, he finished in second place on the American version of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD). From 2014 to May 2022, he danced on The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a repeated guest host and a co-executive producer of the program. On December 13, 2022, Stephen died in Encino, Los Angeles. His death was ruled a suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 40 years old and left behind a wife and three children.
Naomi Judd
Naomi Judd, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, was seventy-six when she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Judd's husband, Larry, and actress daughter Ashley staged an intervention in 2013 when they became aware of her Klonopin abuse. Judd entered Promises treatment facility in Malibu, California. She was diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression. Judd was open about her struggle with mental health issues. She addressed her battles in her memoir River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope. In the book, Judd states that it was difficult for fans to see her on whirlwind tours, all dressed up and sparkly, and embrace how difficult her life was to manage. She admits that following a successful tour, she often returned home, spent weeks in bed, battled anxiety attacks, and feared that her life was in a downward spiral. In the weeks after her mother's death, Ashley met with Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning America" and candidly spoke about her grief. Telling Sawyer, "We lost our beautiful mother to mental illness."
Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith (born Vickie Lynn Hogan, November 28, 1967) was an American model, actress, and television personality. In May 1992, she won the 1993 Playmate of the Year title. She later modeled for fashion companies, including Guess, H&M, and Heatherette. Smith was found unresponsive on February 8, 2007, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Smith's death was ruled an accidental overdose of the sedative chloral hydrate that became increasingly toxic when combined with other prescription drugs in her system, precisely four benzodiazepines: Klonopin, Ativan, Serax, and Valium. Smith battled depression and anxiety. She left behind her daughter. Unfortunately, she lost her son Daniel Wayne Smith (20 years old), due to an accidental drug overdose on September 10, 2006.
Cheslie Kryst
Cheslie Kryst, who won the Miss USA sash in 2019, died after jumping from her high-rise Manhattan apartment building. She was thirty. Outside of pageantry, Kryst practiced as a civil litigation attorney, having earned her law degree and an MBA from Wake Forest University. She was a global impact ambassador with Dress for Success, a nonprofit supporting low-income women searching for jobs. Kryst also became a New York correspondent for the celebrity and entertainment program Extra. Her work on the show garnered her two Daytime Emmy nominations. Kryst left behind a diary in which she documented her struggle with depression. She addressed feelings of worthlessness brought about by hate mail sent after she won the Miss America pageant from naysayers that expressed that she was too old to have been awarded the title. Kryst also acknowledged that as a bleak attorney, she was looked down upon by court officials due to race. Her mother, also a former beauty pageant winner, stated that she had no idea that her daughter was dealing with depression, nor did the staff at Extra.
Jason David Frank
Jason David Frank was well-known for his role as Tommy Oliver in the long-running family television show Power Rangers. He was also the voice of Emissary in Transformers: Titans Returns and brings Bloodshot to life in the highly anticipated project Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe. His onscreen fighting abilities translated into the real world. He was a professionally trained MMA brawler well-versed in everything from Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He fought professionally from 2008 to 2010. Jason died on November 19, 2022, at age 49, by hanging himself.
Lindsey Pearlman
Actress Lindsey Pearlman, whose credits included roles in General Hospital, Empire, and Chicago Justice, was found by Los Angeles police on February 18 in a vehicle near Runyon Canyon Park. According to the coroner's office, Pearlman's manner of death was suicide. The cause of death was "sodium nitrite toxicity." Investigators discovered that Lindsey suffered from severe depression for three years before ending her life. After her death, Lindsey's sister posted the phone number of the National Suicide Hotline on social media with a message saying, "Please know that you are never truly alone."
Kate Spade, Don Cornelius, Mark Salling, Anthony Bourdain, Aaron Hernandez, and Chris Cornell also fell prey to suicide. People with mental health disorders can have symptoms that are difficult to detect, including shifts in mood, sadness, anxiety, irritability, low energy, and sleep problems. Suppose you notice a change in a friend or loved one's behavior. In that case, it is imperative to reach out to them to encourage them to seek help and to remain nonjudgmental. My services are always available. You can book appointments with me at drmarchette.com. Let us keep our community healthy.
Kate Spade
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Don Cornelius
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Mark Salling
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Anthony Bourdain
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Aaron Hernandez
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Chris Cornell
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(Layout by Rodney Wayne Branche)