imdbfan-501574

The movie "Straw" by Tyler Perry I just felt compelled to write about and share my thoughts and my heart for advocating in the mental health community; mental health in the Black Community; mental health Awareness. I am someone who lives with Bipolar-my experience living with it has been a challenge still challenging, breaking and being broken. Yes mental health struggles have broken me still break me. I've lived through psychosis, mania, depression and mixed episodes while raising my son as a single mother. I swear Janiyah's heart towards Aria reminded me no matter the broken parts of me I had this little person relying on me. Living with mental illness is an unexplainable brokenness it's a relentless condition to live with. Watching Taraji character "Janiyah" break down mentally from experiencing such a traumatic moment in her already broken life. Those moments were triggering, yes, her moments triggered me just because I lived it I still live it was such a true reflection.

I've been diagnosed with Bipolar since I was 19, living it for 31 years. This movie has struck a core within me it reminded me why I got involved in the mental health field. To save a life by bringing awareness of sharing my close and personal journey with Bipolar and all its impactful possibilities it can have in someone's life. Many of the mentally ill can be so misunderstood just reflecting on the scene when "Janiyah" Taraji's character went through a series of memories towards what caused her psychotic break or the psychosis she experienced; and just in the series of events brought her to that pivotal moment of committing crime(s) or how she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. So many men and women and adolescence end up in jail from these moments of a mental break down or lacking awareness and perhaps others saw the mental state of someone but didn't get involved because our community is taught to turn a blind eye of helping each other even when it's obvious and being witnessed.

Straw just brought up so many thoughts it reminded me of the fire and passion to stay involved and to further help someone like a "Janiyah" from a woman's perspective with a mental health condition and surviving the ugliness of having Bipolar and still surviving. Due to my faith and by God's grace I can go through those broken moments because they still happen but I know my faith is still here and it's been my saving grace. Not to say I live a normal life but truly what's normal these days. I've been able to endure even when nothing makes sense to why am I having these moments, but it wasn't until I learned awareness that's when I decided to fight back. Awareness is what saved my life many people aren't aware of, but it can be the first step to a better life not a cured life but better, to bring hope and healing. Creating a healing community is something I pray about to continue fighting for the mental health of others. I've been blessed to find myself at the center of advocating although I am one person and sometimes, I can't reach everybody but if I can reach one person that brings me joy, and everybody deserve to feel and see God's grace during those broken moments. God may not take it away, but resources and people are in place to help those hurting and who suffer in silence.

Straw was an amazing depiction of mental health and the broken parts no one talks about. I commend Tyler Perry and the cast for the amazing work, and this put mental health at the center of bringing awareness because you never know what the next person is experiencing. Thank you Tyler for bringing mental health to for frontline and mainstream.

If You See Something Say Something.

Blessings to the mental health community we must do better.

Truly, Ayana H.