Mental Health Persuasive Speech Outline

Should We Pray About It: Mental Health in the Black Community
Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience, particularly those of the African American community to seek mental health services when combating traumatic experiences.
Central Idea: African Americans are victims of mental enslavement due to the urban community’s taboos and stigmas about mental health and the reliability of family, spirituality, and community for salvation.
Introduction
I. Mental health refer to an individual’s psychological and emotional condition.
II. The African American community suffers in silence when it regards mental, emotional, and psychological well-being due to stereotypes and stigmas about seeking mental health services.
III. Most people in the urban community are too prideful and use the foundation of the church
It is taboo to speak about mental health amongst the African American community and often time mental illness is perceived to be exclusive to white people.
II. Though religion is one effective tool for those who are spiritually enlighten, people seek right now answers for right now problems.
A. Within African American community, many individuals suffer in silence when it comes to mental health because it is instilled in them that family or personal matters are kept private.
1. African Americans often associate therapy and seeking services for mental illness as a sign of weakness and a form of incompetence.
2. African American also have a misconception of the mental health system and often think that providers are inauthentic due to the clinical presentation.
B. It is unfortunate that the Black community is more acceptant to medicating and aiding individual for behavioral issues or if they are incarcerating, but hesitant to aid individuals in their mental health.
1. There is a stereotype that African Americans, particularly men are never labeled as being mentally ill, but are labeled as insubordinate, noncompliant, challenged, and violent in the judicial