Less than two weeks before Jahmare Brown was arrested in the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Alyssa Paige on the Beltline Trail, he had been accused of waving a knife and threatening to kill a man in downtown Atlanta. According to records uncovered by WSB-TV, Brown, 21, was not arrested in connection with the alleged threats […]
Mental Health
Posted inMental Health
Georgia VA Shootings Raise Alarm Over Staff Reductions and Mental Health Care
When Regina Moore thinks of her late husband, she thinks of his dedication to fighting for racial justice. “He was passionate about history and uplifting people of color, not just Black people, but he was passionate about addressing injustice in the world on many different platforms,” Moore said. Conrad Moore Jr., also known as “Thulani” […]
Posted inCapital B Atlanta, Health, Mental Health, Public Services
Staffing Cuts at Atlanta VA Raise Concerns for Black Veterans Who Rely on It Most
When Ed Anderson walks into the Atlanta VA Medical Center, he doesn’t just see a hospital. He sees the place that once saved his life. “I can say with no shame in my voice that the VA mental health care saved my life more than 20, 25 years ago,” said the 71-year-old Air Force veteran. […]
Posted inHealth, Mental Health
Former Falcon Rondale Moore’s Death Highlights Suicide Crisis Among Black Men
When news broke last week that Rondale Moore, a 25-year-old former Atlanta Falcons player, died by a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound, it stunned fans and coaches while raising alarm with mental health professionals. Authorities in New Albany, Indiana, said Moore was found dead in the garage of a property in the area and that his […]
Posted inHealth, Mental Health
Youth Suicide Is on the Rise in Georgia. For Black Teens, the Risk Is Even Higher.
A recent report from the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities revealed that suicide remains a leading cause of death among young people in the state, with Black youth experiencing the highest death rates. According to WJBF, which references the state’s report, cited that African American youth experienced the highest suicide death rate […]
Posted inCommunity, Maternal Health, Mental Health
This Nurse’s Tiny House Clinic Is Reimagining Black Mental Health Care
In a state where mental health care access can be limited, especially for Black communities, one nurse is serving Black Atlantans in an unconventional way – by running a clinic on wheels. Psychiatric nurse practitioner Joanne Patterson launched a virtual practice in 2019 and served over 6,000 patients during the past six years. But after […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration, Mental Health
‘The System Is Failing My Son’: Mother of Bipolar Man Fears for Son’s Life Inside Fulton County Jail
Latreece Williams hasn’t had a good night’s sleep at her home in Perkerson Park in over a month. Not since her son Dewayne Lamar High Jr., who was diagnosed with epilepsy and bipolar schizoaffective disorder in 2011, has been locked up in Fulton County Jail. “I call watch command every day to ask for a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Mental Health
New Atlanta Diversion Center Offers a Different Vision of Public Safety
Atlanta and Fulton County officials on Monday took a major step toward reducing local arrests with the launch of a facility intended to serve people experiencing behavioral and mental health issues. The Center for Diversion and Services is a rehabilitative hub open around the clock, seven days a week, where law-enforcement officers and community response […]
Posted inCourts, Mental Health, Reproductive Health
Georgia Is One of the Most Unsafe States to Give Birth. Abortion Limits Make It Worse.
In spite of recent reporting that directly links Georgia’s abortion restriction with the deaths of two Black women, the state Supreme Court’s decision earlier this month to temporarily reinstate the law while an appeal is in progress did not surprise leaders at the forefront of the state’s reproductive justice movement. Last month, ProPublica reported on […]
Posted inHealth, Mental Health
Confess Project Uses Barbershops to Cut Stigma of Black Mental Health
This story comes from our partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more on the news, trends and events shaping Black culture in Atlanta, sign up for the Unapologetically ATL newsletter and read more here. Samuel Glickman was worried when one of his clients stopped coming in for his regular haircuts last year. Glickman’s Privado barbershop — located on […]