The sad and fascinating saga of the late Gary Coleman continues unabated. Best known for his role as the lovable, smart mouthed "Arnold" on the television show "Diff'rent Strokes," Coleman passed away last month of an intracranial brain hemorrhage, after an alleged fall in his home. He was taken off of life-support by his ex-wife, Shannon Price, and died instantly.

Though the pint-sized Coleman was a giant talent, with incredible success in his early years, his life post–"Diff'rent Strokes" was anything but. He suffered from numerous health problems, including seizures and kidney failure. Eventually he underwent a kidney transplant.

But this was just the tip of the iceberg, because his emotional conflicts dominated his adult life. After the cancellation of "Different Strokes" in 1986, Coleman was eternally viewed by the public as the 10-year-old "Arnold," even though he was nearly 18 years old.

With Hollywood work not as plentiful as before, he turned to his trust fund, which was estimated to hold nearly $8.3 million. He was shocked to discover there was only $220,000 remaining. This resulted in a lawsuit against his parents, who were his managers, and his agent for misappropriation of his funds. He won the lawsuit but collected no more than $1.28 million.

Coleman was so devastated by the situation as well as the downward spiral of his professional and personal life that he became clinically depressed and admitted that he made several suicide attempts.

In addition to his depression, his adult life continued to be marred by anger, drug problems, failed relationships, a failed marriage, a domestic violence charge and financial problems. Like Michael Jackson who had a very troubled life and also met with an untimely death, Coleman will live on in our hearts as the adorable, witty "Arnold," who immortalized the words "What you talkin' about Willis?"

As with any tragedy, it would be a waste to not learn lessons that can help so many others.

In this case, Coleman's is a cautionary tale of what happens when emotional issues, fueled particularly by pain and depression, are not addressed. We can only wonder how different Coleman's life would have been if he was diagnosed and treated for his depression, instead of suffering silently and self-medicating with drugs and falling in to a behavioral pattern of anger, inappropriate behavior and unhealthy relationships.The reality is that Gary Coleman, Michael Jackson and even actress Maia Campbell (whose life was almost destroyed by an untreated bipolar depressive disorder, pictured below) are not alone in their emotional pain. In many ways, they represent a major tragedy of the black community: undiagnosed and untreated mental health issues, especially clinical depression, in all its variations.

Black women, for example, are disproportionately affected by this issue. The Congressional Black Caucus has cited statistics that show that only 7 percent of African-American women with depression receive treatment. Suicide, which often is related to untreated or incomplete clinical treatment of depression, is a top-leading cause of death for young black women in the 14 to 34 age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Black men do not fare much better when it comes to suicide. In his book "Lay My Burden Down," co-authored with Amy Alexander, Dr. Alvin Poussaint points out that between 1980 and 1995, the suicide rate of black males doubled to about eight deaths per 100,000 people. Dr. Poussaint calls it "an unspoken crisis in the African-American community."

Watch author of "Black Pain" Terrie Williams, internist and psychiatric medication specialist Dr. Virgie Bright Ellington and psychologist Dr. Esther Hyatt and I discuss Gary Coleman and signs of depression in the black community:


Stay tuned for the next part of our Depression series, "Black Women Under-Diagnosed for Depression."



Dr. Jeff Gardere, better known as America's psychologist is one of the most widely sought-after experts in the field of mental health. In addition to having a private practice in Manhattan, he has garnered a reputation as being a top motivational and keynote speaker, empowerment and media coach. He now appears as the relationship expert on VH-1's 'Dad Camp.'