00:00 We're back with Taraji P. Henson.
00:02 So, can I ask you about the work you've done
00:04 around mental health?
00:05 Yes.
00:06 The stigma around mental health
00:08 is really hurting this country.
00:09 It is.
00:10 And not enough people speak out about it,
00:11 which is why I treasure you being here.
00:13 What got this issue on your radar screen?
00:15 Why is it important to you?
00:16 Well, it's important to me because
00:19 actually I founded my foundation,
00:21 the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation,
00:23 named after my father, out of necessity.
00:27 I suffered a, there he is.
00:29 Hi, Daddy, I miss you.
00:30 I suffered trauma in my life and so did my son.
00:34 And when it came time for us to sit down
00:36 and talk about it and get some help,
00:38 it became an issue because
00:40 you have to be culturally competent
00:43 in order for me to feel safe sharing my deepest secrets
00:46 and what my fears and being vulnerable.
00:49 So when it came time to look for
00:53 a therapist that looked like me, there were none.
00:55 It was like looking for a unicorn.
00:58 I mean, I'm not saying they don't exist,
00:59 but it wasn't easily accessible.
01:02 So I discussed it with my best friend
01:04 who also had her bouts with anxiety.
01:08 And so we decided to do something about it.
01:11 And I think in the African American community,
01:14 it's been such a taboo.
01:15 We really don't take care of our mental.
01:17 We don't, and we should.
01:19 We suppress a lot.
01:21 And when we do express ourselves, it comes off as rage.
01:26 Well, we have a lot to be upset about, right?
01:29 (audience applauding)
01:32 And not to shun those feelings,
01:35 but they need to be channeled
01:37 or they need to be expressed in a healthy way.
01:41 And what I found disturbing
01:42 is that we can talk about our thyroid,
01:44 I can sit up here and talk about my gastritis,
01:46 but when it comes to our mental,
01:47 which is all a part of total healthcare,
01:50 we miss that beat.
01:51 And that's because for so long,
01:54 we've been told to pray our problems away.
01:56 We've been demonized.
01:58 We've been misdiagnosed.
02:01 It's a lot of trust issues.
02:03 So I decided to do something about it.
02:05 And I think the misconception with celebrities
02:08 and people that you look up to
02:10 in film and television is that we got it,
02:13 somehow we got it all together just because we have money.
02:16 Well, money doesn't make your issues go away.
02:19 Because when they yell cut on set,
02:21 and I take this wig off and these lashes,
02:24 he looked at my hair like, "That's a wig?"
02:26 But when the Taraji and the limelight comes off,
02:30 I go home to real problems just like everybody else
02:32 that money can't solve.
02:34 But why'd you name it after your dad?
02:37 Because my father was a Vietnam vet
02:39 and he suffered from his own mental issues
02:41 and he was very vocal about it.
02:43 That was important, it made an impression on me.
02:46 'Cause then I would hang out with my white friends
02:48 and they would be like,
02:49 "Girl, let's do lunch at 11."
02:50 Oh no, I have my standing appointment with my therapist.
02:52 And I was like,
02:53 "I want a standing appointment with a therapist."
02:56 (laughing)
02:56 I need one!
02:57 I need one of those!
02:59 You touch on something that's so important.
03:01 Yeah.
03:02 You know, the anxieties we all feel,
03:03 I always wonder why are we all completely paralyzed
03:06 by fear, anxiety, self-talk, all the stuff that happens.
03:10 I think you're more connected to that than a lot of us.
03:13 How does that affect you?
03:14 I mean, I think I have to deal with a lot of my things
03:18 when I'm preparing to portray a character.
03:21 If I'm lying to the girl in the mirror,
03:23 then how can I tell this character's truth?
03:26 So I can't miss those beats in my life.
03:28 So acting to me has become very therapeutic.
03:31 Not to say that I don't need a therapist,
03:33 'cause I do need a professional,
03:34 but I need to speak to a professional.
03:36 But I'm just very aware of who I am
03:39 because this is my instrument, so I have to be.
03:42 Why do you think...
03:44 (audience applauding)
03:45 And again, I respect your honesty about this,
03:48 and I suspect in some ways acting is therapeutic for you
03:51 'cause it forced you to confront some of those demons.
03:52 Yes, absolutely.
03:53 What needs to happen in the African American community?
03:56 What needs to happen?
03:57 Yeah, for folks to embrace this more.
03:59 We need to start talking about it more.
04:01 I think, and what I'm seeing activity just by me launching
04:06 and going public with the launch of my foundation,
04:09 I'm starting to see chitter-chatter
04:10 and people actually talking about it
04:12 because you put a face to it.
04:14 'Cause I feel like my fans pretty much,
04:16 you guys trust me, right?
04:17 Yes, yeah, they do.
04:19 Right, they trust me.
04:20 And I think when you see someone that you trust
04:23 and you've looked up to for so long say,
04:25 "Hey, it's okay, I'm suffering too,"
04:27 then it makes you go, "Oh," it's like a sigh of relief,
04:30 like I'm not the only one.
04:31 I mean...
04:32 That's right, no, you're right.
04:33 So when we ask our audience, and we do this, guys,
04:35 we ask you a lot of times,
04:37 the reason we do these surveys,
04:38 and they're pretty professionally done,
04:39 is to find out what's bothering America.
04:41 The biggest epidemic we have right now is loneliness.
04:44 People just don't feel connected,
04:45 and so they don't have the usual tactics
04:47 like talking to your mom or a best friend
04:50 or a group of people that you hang with.
04:51 So what's a tactic that you use personally to get past it?
04:54 I'm...
04:55 To get through your day.
04:56 I mean, you know, I make sure I keep in touch
04:58 with my friends, and I have such a great core of friends
05:01 that check on me.
05:03 So it's all about the people you have around you too,
05:06 you know, get off the internet, get off the social media,
05:10 put the phones down, reconnect with humanity again.
05:13 (audience applauding)
05:14 You know what, you're a beautiful person
05:16 on the outside and on the inside.
05:17 Thank you so much.
05:17 Oh, you're beautiful, thank you.
05:20 Thank you for watching.
05:20 Don't forget to subscribe and turn on notifications
05:23 so you never miss out on new videos to live the good life.
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