Daughter of TV judge pushing to destigmatize mental illness among minorities
DALLAS - The daughter of a TV judge is openly sharing her battle with mental illness in hopes of helping others. She's taking part in a program this weekend in Dallas.
The goal is to connect a community with medical resources.
Paul Quinn College is playing host to a three-day awareness campaign on mental health.
The tour is continuing in North Texas through Sunday, targeting historically Black colleges and universities.
The "All Of Us" research program is part of an effort to destigmatize the topic of mental illness among minorities.
Jade Mathis is a program ambassador.
"Now that I have treatment, the proper antidepressants that are keeping me functioning that allow me to be a successful attorney my goal is to make sure that I am spreading awareness," she said.
As a college undergrad, Mathis was diagnosed with clinical depression. Her father is the star of "Judge Greg Mathis."
"He’s the one who said it’s time for treatment, and he’s who I sat down with and gave us family history and genetics," she said. "It has historically been in the area of shame, hidden, and swept under the rug [in the African American community]. That as we’ve seen the last few decades is no longer working."
Mathis points to recent high-profile suicides, including entertainment correspondent Cheslie Kryst and the son of actress Regina King, Ian Alexander Jr.
The project aims to get one million minorities to take part in research, the sharing of information and data to help shape the future of mental health treatment and therapy.
"It took me over a year to find a precise medical treatment that was suitable for my body chemistry, my body genetics. After working tirelessly, my doctors finally found the correct treatment," Mathis said. "Today’s future generations are going to make the difference in our healthcare, and that’s our utmost importance right now."
The journey Mathis is pursuing is to help others.
"If we can get the younger people to spread the word to their parents, their grandparents, their churches, that is a start," she said.