Nikki Webber Allen: Don't suffer from your depression in silence
Nikki Webber Allen: No sufras tu depresión en silencio
Nikki Webber Allen is working to create a safe space for honest conversations about mental health in communities of color. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
nothing wrong,
this overwhelming sense of doom,
sensación de fatalidad,
just around the corner.
a la vuelta de la esquina.
van de la mano.
I wouldn't have told anybody,
no se lo habría dicho a nadie,
extraordinary resilience to succeed.
resiliencia notable para tener éxito.
personas en mi comunidad,
was a sign of weakness,
la depresión era un signo de debilidad,
in Media Studies
in the film and television industries.
en la industria del cine y la televisión.
for my hard work.
por mi arduo trabajo.
I used to enjoy,
que solía disfrutar,
antes de poder admitirlo,
about my diagnosis.
sobre mi diagnóstico.
to be depressed.
a estar deprimida.
and a successful career.
y una carrera exitosa.
the unspeakable horrors
los horrores indescriptibles
had been through in this country
habían sufrido en este país
a phone call from my mom
una llamada telefónica de mi madre
Paul, had ended his life,
Paul, había terminado con su vida,
depression and anxiety.
contra la depresión y la ansiedad.
the devastation I felt.
la devastación que sentí.
estuviera sufriendo tanto.
to the other about our struggles.
con el otro sobre nuestras luchas.
nos mantuvieron a ambos en silencio.
is to face it head on,
la adversidad es encarándola de frente,
researching depression and anxiety,
investigando la depresión y la ansiedad,
of sickness and disability
de enfermedad y discapacidad
of depression isn't clear,
de la depresión no está clara,
that most mental disorders develop,
de los trastornos mentales se desarrollan,
imbalance in the brain,
químico en el cerebro,
genetic predisposition.
genética subyacente.
and socioeconomic disparities
y las disparidades socioeconómicas
of developing a mental disorder,
desarrollar un trastorno mental,
servicios de salud mental
de estadounidenses blancos.
mistaking depression for a weakness.
que confunden depresión con debilidad.
among black children
entre los niños negros
struggling with depression will improve
luchan contra la depresión mejorará
una conversación nacional.
a national conversation.
those tired, old narratives
esas viejas narraciones cansinas
they get knocked down,
son derribados,
son soldados al servicio.
un signo de debilidad.
que somos humanos.
in order to fill the void.
para llenar el vacío.
mi historia abiertamente
compartan las suyas.
be suffering in silence
pueden estar sufriendo en silencio,
yoga and a relatively healthy diet.
y una dieta relativamente saludable.
are starting to spiral,
a girar en espiral,
named Dawn Armstrong,
llamada Dawn Armstrong,
encuentro reconfortante.
with the lesson that I've learned.
con la lección que aprendí.
to help you through it.
de soporte para superarlo.
se vuelve muy pesada,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nikki Webber Allen - Multimedia producerNikki Webber Allen is working to create a safe space for honest conversations about mental health in communities of color.
Why you should listen
Nikki Webber Allen is a two-time Emmy winner with 20 years of experience producing content for media outlets including Warner Bros., HBO, ABC, 20th Century Fox and BET.
In 2013, while working as the vice president of casting and talent relations for the cable network TV One, Webber Allen lost her 22-year old nephew, Paul, to suicide after his years of struggle with depression and anxiety. Since then, she's become a passionate mental health advocate.
In Paul's honor, she launched the nonprofit I LIVE FOR... FOUNDATION, INC. to create a safe space for honest, unapologetic conversations about mental health in communities of color, where the cultural stigma of mental illness discourages far too many people from seeking help. Michael Eric Dyson, advisor to the foundation, has called I LIVE FOR… "an incredibly important organization that offers much-needed support to those who too often suffer in silence."
Webber Allen is currently producing and directing a documentary film featuring a diverse group of compelling young men and women who reject the stigma of mental illness and share candid stories about their experiences living with depression and anxiety. The film is being scored by her husband, musician Jeffrey Allen of the Grammy-nominated R&B band Mint Condition.
In 2016, Webber Allen was one of only 47 people chosen out of more than 1,000 applicants worldwide to receive a coveted scholarship to Marie Forleo's B-School for social entrepreneurs. She has an M.A. in media studies from The New School University in New York, NY and a B.A. in communications from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.
Nikki Webber Allen | Speaker | TED.com