Dr. Imani Walker Says Millennials Are Changing the Stigma Around Mental Health
"I'm really happy that they're leading this change," said the Married to Medicine Los Angeles psychiatrist.
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The stigma around therapy is changing, and Dr. Imani Walker is glad to see it. The Married to Medicine Los Angeles psychiatrist discussed mental health with Justin Sylvester, host of E!’s Daily Pop!, during the June 29 episode of Amplify Our Voices: An Open Dialogue on Being Black in America. In fact, she attributes the positive changes to a specific generation, which she explained during the conversation.
“The one thing I can say, even though people want to talk bad about millennials all the time, they’re basically like, ‘Here’s the thing. We’re not doing this no more,’” said Dr. Imani. “Traditionally, and even currently, Black people are still underrepresented when it comes to seeking out mental health care services, right? And I think it’s changing, but I think it’s changing more so because the people that are younger than me, y’all are like, ‘I’m not even doing this no more with y’all, like this is over,’ so I’m really happy to see that millennials are really taking the charge.”
She continued to explain that millennials tend to actively seek out treatment for specific issues, and are not afraid to talk about it openly.
“I mean, honestly, when it comes to millennials, the ones that I know personally and the ones that I have as patients, they’re basically like, ‘Listen, yeah, I’m in therapy...and what? Why aren’t you in therapy?’” added Dr. Imani. “They’re not afraid of it. So I’m really happy that they’re leading this change.”
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