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How do you cope when mental health disorders and addiction collide? What happens if you add into that the trauma and stress from racism? Find out the answers and more as we talk with Karl Shallowhorn.
Karl is the president and founder of Shallowhorn Consulting. He has worked in the field of addiction and mental health for over 19 years. He is a New York State Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) and has been selected as a presenter for TedX Buffalo 2021 with his topic on African American men and mental health.
In this episode, Karl shares his story of alcohol and drug abuse and how his experience of living with mental illness started. He talks about his mental breakdowns, his hospitalizations, the electroconvulsive therapy that he received, and his long-term recovery.
With the ongoing issue of racism, Karl discusses how black men suffer from mental health illness, addiction and trauma. Then he gave advice on how to cope with trauma and deal with the challenges of seeking help for mental health care.
As a leader in his own company and with the pandemic, Karl shares how he’s able to stay with his long-term recovery, manage his mental health, and at the same time promote it in the workplace.
What You Will Learn From This Episode
- What is Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and how it’s being used to treat mental illness
- What being hospitalized several times looks like
- Tips to stay in long-term recovery from addiction especially with the pandemic
- Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, and the challenges black men face when seeking mental health care
- The relationship between mental health and addiction
- The issue of racism and how to cope with trauma
- How to manage mental health as a leader and promote it in the workplace
“People often ask that question of which came first you know, it’s like the idea of chicken or the egg. For me it was the heavy alcohol use that I did in high school and then when I went to college, that’s when I began the drug use. That’s what I think in many ways triggered my manic episode and essentially started the whole experience of living with mental illness.” – Karl Shallowhorn
“Being black in America is already stigmatized… And being stressed as a black man is an everyday thing.” – Karl Shallowhorn
“Addiction and mental health go hand in hand. And it’s almost like they feed off each other.” – Karl Shallowhorn
“Many times these horrible strategies create actions. That’s how Black Lives Matter has come out of that, out of Ferguson.” – Karl Shallowhorn
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Timestamps
2:19 – Karl’s mental illness and addiction issues
6:07 – What is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and Karl’s experience of it
8:00 – On being hospitalized eight times
10:43 – How Karl is able to stay in long-term recovery from addiction
13:58 – All about the podcast Color Me Healthy and how it helps the Buffalo community
16:48 – On black men, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome and challenges with mental health care
20:54 – Resource for black men seeking help and the advent of online therapy
23:12 – Why it’s hard for black men and women to cry
25:23 – The relationship between mental health and addiction
28:06 – How to cope with racism and trauma
36:03 – How Karl manages his mental health as a leader and promotes it in the workplace
Resources
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
- EP15 – Dealing with a Mental Breakdown and PTSD: An Interview with Financially Savvy Latina Natalie Torres-Haddad
- Girl, Interrupted
- Color Me Healthy Podcast
- EP2 – Money & Mania: How Sinclair Ceasar is Fighting The Stigma
- Dr. Joy DeGruy
- BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective)
- EP16 – From Major Depressive Disorder to Creating Her Therapy Space: An Interview with Kristin Winchester, LPC
- Insight Timer
- News Feed Eradicator for Facebook
- Mental Health and Wealth Hangout
- Leadership Through the Lens of the 12 Steps by Karl Shallowhorn
Connect with Karl
Connect with Melanie
- mentalhealthandwealth.com
- melanielockert.com
- Contact: mentalhealthandwealthshow@gmail.com
