Paris Alston: This is the morning edition of GBH. We often hear that we are facing a mental health crisis. According to a recent JAMA Health Forum, the use of mental health services has jumped nearly 40% in recent years among the millions of commercially insured American adults. These patients seek help for everything from anxiety and depression to substance use disorders and relationship conflicts. With that comes a growing push to talk about our mental health, and this year we're joining the conversation with a new series called Wake Up Well. Once a month, we discuss a timely topic and how it impacts our mental health and communities. A partner in this effort is her wellness platform PureSpark, founded by Nieisha Deed, who is currently joining the studio. Nieisha, I'm so glad you're here. Thank you for your participation.
Jineisha Certificate: good morning. I'm very happy to be here. Thank you for inviting me.
Alston: First of all, please tell us more about PureSpark.
Certificate: Yeah. PureSpark is actually an organization focused on mental health equity, right? I hear about health equity. But this one is really focused on Boston's Black population and supporting them on their health journey. So we created a wellness directory. We also share health-related events. We hold unique wellness events. In addition to this, I also do a lot of lecture activities.
Alston: And why did we create PureSpark?
Certificate: Oh, I'll keep this short. First, I am a person who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2007. And then 10 years later, in 2017, he faced a crisis where he said, “I don't want to be here anymore.'' Additionally, I have four family members who have died by suicide. And I just got angry and frustrated. If you look at the statistics for just black Americans, black people living in the United States, that's clear. A report released by the CDC last year made headlines as suicide rates across the U.S. are declining and the Black population, especially Black men and Black teens, is beginning to see an increase in suicide rates. There's a lot of focus overall, but I think it needs to be more specific because the people it's serving need similar considerations.
Alston: And of course, we all have mental health, so everything we talk about in this series applies to everyone. But there is an imbalance here that we also want to note and address. And I'm really excited because we're going to be talking to a lot of mental health experts that will cover a variety of topics and build a toolkit that people can use. And of course, our conversation is not final. They are not a substitute for treatment. But we hope these are a starting point. So what do you hope people get out of this situation?
Certificate: I'm excited. If you look at some of the topics, I think it could help a lot of people in that you can really speak from a clinician or holistic perspective, not just from a lived experience perspective like mine. I think you can. practitioner. It's a collaborative effort. You can't just focus on the therapist. We don't have enough therapists. As you know, people like news anchors and news publishers also need to be part of this issue because this is a serious issue that is affecting all of us.
Alston: So, Nieisha, one of the things we do with each guest is give us an affirmation. So I'm going to talk a little bit here, but first he would like to share one thing.
Certificate: Oh, I love – first of all, I love affirmations. I think my affirmation is to trust myself. I think people often see me as very confident because I believe in myself. And by trusting myself, I was able to do the job I do now.
Alston: Yes, that's Nieisha Deed, the founder of PureSpark. Thank you very much, Nieisha. I'm really looking forward to embarking on this journey with you all.
Certificate: same. Thank you so much for having me.
Alston: In the first part, we'll talk about the ups and downs of dating and relationships. If you would like to share your thoughts on this topic, please text 617-300-2008 or email TheWakeUp@GBHnews.org. And if you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call, text or chat to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. You are listening to the morning edition of GBH.
