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Sgt. Maj. Keith L. Craig, who was raised in Yantley, Ala., joined the Army in August 1984 at age 17.
During his military service, he participated in six combat campaigns, including the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and Operation Unified Response in Haiti after a devastating earthquake in 2010. After 32 years of service, he retired in August 2016 with more than 50 awards and honors.
Along with the accolades and decorations that accompanied his retirement, Sgt. Maj. Craig left the military wearing a not-so-visible badge of courage: PTSD.
Post-traumatic stress disorder affects 9 million, or 3.6% of adults in the U.S., according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Black adults are 20% more likely to report serious psychological distress than white adults.
Initially, Sgt. Major Craig had trouble acknowledging his symptoms, believing that any sign of vulnerability was weakness, especially for a Black man holding a senior military position.
Seven percent of veterans will have PTSD at some point in their lifetime compared to 6% of the general population, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Center for PTSD.
“It can be difficult to experience peace, happiness and to feel adequate and whole in the midst of life as a Black person,” agreed Nikissia Craig, a social worker and CEO and founder of Whole Journey Services, a counseling and wellness services provider with locations throughout Virginia and in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In addition to seeing the effects of PTSD professionally, Ms. Craig, the daughter of Sgt. Maj. Craig, personally has experienced the disorder. Her father’s condition, which developed and was diagnosed during his military service, inspired her to enter the mental health field.
Sgt. Maj. Craig, 53, of New Kent County, has battled PTSD since 2013. He became aware of his mood swings, a symptom of the condition, after his former commander mentioned his inconsistent behavior.
“My commander called me in and told me for the most part, ‘You love your soldiers, right, Sergeant Major? If you really want to do them justice, let them know that it’s OK to not be OK’,” Sgt. Maj. Craig recalled.
Sgt. Maj. Craig’s other PTSD episodes include nightmares, being startled by fireworks and certain memories “etched” into his mind. However, with the support of his daughter, Sgt. Maj. Craig allowed himself to “lower his guard,” seek treatment and tell his story, he said.
He began therapy in 2014, two years before retiring. Today he ascribes to certain coping mechanisms to help him live a healthier life “filled with a mission.” This includes a routine incorporating meditation, an in-home sauna, regular massages, reading the Bible and seeing a mental health professional every two weeks.”
Only one in three Black adults in need of mental treatment receive it, according to NAMI. There is still a stigma around mental health in the Black community and some prefer using faith, friends or being active as ways to cope, Ms. Craig said.
“I no longer live my life like everyone does because it’s not reasonable,” Sgt. Maj. Craig said. “I have to live my life as a thermostat, not a thermometer. Most people [with PTSD who do not tailor their lives to accommodate themselves] walk through life day to day and it’s like they’re a thermometer because they don’t have a choice in their world. They literally are just taking what’s given to them.”
Seeking professional help is also es- sential to coping and living with PTSD, Ms. Craig said. Yet, many Black people encounter challenges when searching for culturally competent counselors and therapists.
Black psychologists account for only 5% of psychologists in the U.S. as of 2021, according to the American Psychological Association. In 2015, the Association re- ported that 4% of psychologists were Black. The percentage of Black psychiatrists is even lower at 2% as of 2021, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
Another challenge occurs when Black people are misdiagnosed, over-diagnosed or their pain is misunderstood, Ms. Craig said.
“Our needs and pain have often been dismissed and erased in a way that discourages getting treatment,” she said.
Other mental health care professionals agree.
The Black community has become numb to the pain experienced and going day to day without addressing trauma makes it worse, said Dennis Parker, Ph.D., CEO of Carieton and Associates, COO of Hargrove, Oliver, Parker Enterprises (HOPE) and president of Caliber Virginia, all of which are mental health service providers.
Trauma is experienced so often that in order to continue with life, it is blocked out to not create overwhelming despair, Dr. Parker said.
“We don’t have enough providers and instead of the state making the barriers of entry culturally unbiased for African-Americans, [the state] adhered to a traditional way of thinking that doesn’t necessarily connect with people who are providers or are wanting to become providers,” Dr. Parker said.
Dr. Parker speaks at local and national forums to not only raise awareness for mental health, but to also promote gateway jobs into the mental health field, he said.
Some people believe they always need a mental health-related degree to be in the mental health field, he said, but sometimes there just needs to be a willingness to learn and gain more experience.
Since retiring from the Army, Sgt. Maj. Craig spends much of his time working on a new passion: Film distribution. Formerly a distribution executive for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures in Burbank, Calif., he has helped with distribution plans and strategies of films such as “Coco,” “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Endgame.” He is now CEO of Porter + Craig Film and Media Distribution, founded in 2021 in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Describing himself as a “thriver,” not a survivor, of PTSD, Sgt. Major Craig said he hopes that everyone experiencing PTSD can obtain the help they need.
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