(InvestigateTV) — Depression, anxiety, and PTSD are serious health issues that impacts millions of Americans yet often go ignored. One group at particular risk is Black men. But help is meeting them where they are, at the barbershop.
For generations, the barbershop has been a cornerstone of Black male culture, serving as a place to connect and get a haircut.
It’s those connections that are being used in a powerful way. Across the country, barbers are being trained to recognize warning signs and help men get the support they need.
A safe space to talk
When Kentrell Porch needs a fresh look, he comes to Cutz Barbershop. He said the barbershop leaves him feeling like a new man, but for more reasons than you might think.
“This is a place we’ve always come, and it’s a place that has always been what we consider our safe space to talk,” Porch said.
Sometimes it’s just the usual topics, but the conversations can go deeper.
Barber Bryson Love has more than just an ear to lend. He’s a mental health advocate ready for real talk.
“I just usually talk to them about how they’re doing,” Love said. “Basically, you can figure out if something’s going wrong with the person or something like that.”
Training barbers as advocates
Love was trained by The Confess Project of America, a national organization that’s been educating barbers like him since 2016. Thousands of advocates have learned how to recognize warning signs and connect people to support.
Having gone through his own struggles, Love said he knows how important that can be.
“Everybody needs some help every now and again,” he said.
Cutz Barbershop owner Nick Cameron has a front-row seat to Love’s training in action.
“I done seen Bryce talk people out of bad situations and people that were about to go do something that they would have regretted it,” Cameron said.
From client to educator
Porch knows the power of these conversations firsthand because he’s not just a client. He’s an educator with The Confess Project, based in Atlanta. That’s where he trained Love.
“We help them pick up on cues, changes in behavior, maybe changes in mood, things someone says or things someone doesn’t say,” Porch said.
This work is personal for Porch. He recalls life before he was introduced to the program.
“Personally, I was going through it. It was pretty bad,” he said. “Truth be told, if it probably wasn’t for The Confess Project, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you right now.”
Jordon Lewis, CEO of The Confess Project, said that although they aren’t mental health counselors, the advocate training program empowers barbers to be a first line of defense.
“They are considered that bridge. They are considered that missing piece,” said Lewis said.
If mental health advocates sense a person might need extra support, they direct them to a resource or professional who can help.
“We want to change the conversation and the comfortability of people when talking about mental health, making it very normalized,” Lewis said. “It’s okay not to be okay and really meaning that.”
Recognizing the warning signs
Dr. Gregory Scott Brown, with the American Psychiatric Association, said there are common red flags we can all look out for in someone who may be experiencing mental distress.
“Oftentimes the very first person that someone who’s struggling with a mental health problem is going to talk to is not a psychiatrist like me,” Brown said. “It’s going to be someone in their family or a friend or, you know, their barber or their pastor.”
Brown said warning signs include changes in sleep, isolation, changes in energy and appetite. He also noted thoughts of not wanting to be here as a critical red flag.
“These cries for help sometimes can be a little bit subtle,” Brown said. “And if we’re training barbers to recognize those cries for help, I mean, we could save a lot of lives here.”
A growing crisis
In the past two decades, suicide rates among Black youth have increased faster than any other racial or ethnic group, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Between the ages of 15 to 24, it’s the third leading cause of death, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
But research from the Child Mind Institute and The Steve Fund shows despite having an overall positive attitude toward mental health care, many young Black males are resistant to professional care.
Brown said they face unique barriers stemming from stigma and systemic racism.
“There can be some shame associated with it,” Brown said. “There also can be a profound distrust of the medical system that has historically seen Black people overly diagnosed with certain psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia.”
Brown said that distrust deters some Black adults from seeking help and makes some more cautious when it comes to seeking help.
Finding solace in the chair
Donvinnie Boykin said he knows what it feels like to struggle in silence.
“I just think it’s how we were raised, you know, being strong African American, Black people, and being taught like, you know, hey, you know, suck it up,” Boykin said.
His father passed away in 2018. “Losing him was like losing my best friend.”
Boykin was diagnosed with anxiety and depression shortly after. It wasn’t easy finding someone he could open up to, but he found solace in a familiar space.
“Going to the barbershop was just therapeutic,” Boykin said.
Boykin’s barber isn’t affiliated with The Confess Project, but the two share a special relationship born from the barbershop.
“My barber will always say ‘Let me get you right’ as soon as I sit down,” Boykin said. “He’s like ‘Okay, let me get you right.’”
Today, Boykin said he’s found peace and purpose sharing his story. He’s connected with a therapist, but he keeps coming back to this chair because it makes him feel lighter.
“I feel not only good, but like I can take on the world,” Boykin said. “You know, I’m ready for whatever life throws at me.”
Porch said conversations can help bridge gaps.
“A simple word, a simple smile can change the trajectory of a person’s day,” he said.
And sometimes, speaking up can be the hardest part. Lewis said for younger Black men and boys who are still struggling and suffering in silence, they should know they’re not alone.
“There are so many others just like you who for so long did not speak out but you can, you can use your voice,” Lewis said.
In barbershops across the country, those voices are getting a little louder.
Harvard University studied The Confess Project’s methodology and found Black barbers serve as crucial change agents in their communities.
The program isn’t limited to men. In 2023, The Confess Project expanded to include female hair stylists, helping to bridge the gender gap in mental health advocacy.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
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