Rev. Pamula Yerby-Hammack Breaking the Stigma of Mental Health
Rev. Pamula Yerby-Hammack says that she once held firm to the beliefs taught by her church community that “mental illness is caused by moral and/or spiritual failure on the part of the individual” and that mental illness can just be “prayed away.” Now, Yerby-Hammack, Executive Pastor of City of Abraham Church and Ministries and member of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity Community Advisory Board, fiercely advocates for mental health and wellness within the Black church community.
After receiving treatment for major depression and anxiety in 2012, Yerby-Hammack started teaching in local Black churches to help dispel misconceptions about mental illness and treatment. Through her advocacy work, Yerby-Hammack says she hopes “to reduce stigma, raise awareness, and promote change within this specific community.”
A desire to address the profound impact of misinformation about mental health within the Black community fuels Yerby-Hammack's advocacy, particularly in the realm of faith. After receiving treatment for her own mental illnesses, she realized that being a person of faith was compatible with seeking and receiving medical and therapeutic treatments for mental illness. The intersection of faith and mental health has long been a challenging one, but Yerby-Hammack refutes these misconceptions, with a particular focus on the Black faith community.
“From my own places of suffering, misinformation, and confusion about how and where to get help, I have been blessed to reach out to help others,” says Yerby-Hammack. “After all, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? When we have been helped, we reach out and help our brothers and sisters.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), only 1 in 3 Black adults with mental illness receive treatment. This alarming statistic highlights the pressing need for awareness and intervention. According to Yerby-Hammack, misinformation is at the root of this issue. She says “misinformation is a powerful thing. It can prevent people from getting the help they need when they need it. Black people of faith have too long been victims of misinformation.” She says that breaking through the barriers of misinformation is crucial to ensuring that individuals receive the necessary support and treatment for their mental health challenges.
“From my own places of suffering, misinformation, and confusion about how and where to get help, I have been blessed to reach out to help others. After all, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? When we have been helped, we reach out and help our brothers and sisters.”
- Rev. Pamula Yerby-Hammack
Yerby-Hammack’s works address this mental health disparity by teaching at Black churches. She approaches these sessions by first exploring “the perspective of what we believe as Christians about suffering and sickness” and then “introducing ways the church can be a conduit of comfort, strength, support, and empowerment,” she says. “Still, there is much work to be done,” she says.
In addition to her teaching efforts, Yerby-Hammack also contributes to the conversation through her writing. In 2018, she published Flying with One Wing: God’s Grace in Our Times of Adversity, offering a personal perspective on her journey through mental illness. In February 2023, Sheppard Pratt featured her story of "Coming Full Circle" in their magazine, Inspire. Furthering the reach of her message, CBS News interviewed Rev. Yerby-Hammack in September 2023, shedding light on her experiences at Sheppard Pratt's crisis center and the importance of these centers for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
For Yerby-Hammack, helping others facing mental illness has become her personal, professional, and spiritual mission.
"Restoration, recovery, renewal, and rebirth is what I hope my work will have," she says, emphasizing the transformative power of acknowledging, understanding, and addressing mental health issues.