Trend with Truth: The Real Maia Campbell Story
Some days the mayhem on Twitter is funny. Today it isn’t funny to me.
Today I looked in the trending topics on Twitter and saw a familiar name, Maia Campbell, the sweet faced, beautifully locked girl from L.L. Cool J’s TV sitcom, In the House. I read hundreds of tweets but only found one kind post asking that folks stop making fun of her and pray instead. I then saw a post containing the link to a video featuring Maia on Youtube.com. I watched as much as possible and decided to tweet what I knew. Maia is schizophrenic; a fact that brought her late mother Bebe Moore Campbell and her father and step-father much anguish. Maia is a schizophrenic who won’t take her meds. Maia is a schizophrenic and unfortunately, she also has the honor of being a Twitter trending topic and #1 on Google Trends.
The number one hit with Maia’s name is a gossip blog and about 30 comments in on a line chain of comments is the one that states she is a schizophrenic.
This is why I care. My aunt was schizophrenic. She suffered through a partial lobotomy in the 60s, countless visits in and out of mental hospitals, and there were suicide attempts. Last year, Aunt Alice died at the age of 83. She was like a child; her brain locked in an infantile state partially due to the cocktail of drugs she took for the schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease. Of all of my memories of her, and there are many wonderful ones, I remember seeing my once beautiful aunt become like a monster when taking those drugs. She’d either be violent like Maia in that video or she’d go into a catatonic state – drawn in and lost.
The hardest part for the mentally ill is the waiting through the side effects, which makes most feel even crazier. And when they can’t stand it, they reject the meds like Maia.
Okay, this is a tech site. Here’s the plea I’d like to make on Maia’s behalf. Trend with truth. Bloggers who are receiving lots of traffic to your sites: Adequately research Bebe Moore Campbell, Maia’s mental illness and Bebe’s last interviews regarding living with a mentally ill loved one. It’s all there on Google. Then I challenge you to report what you’ve found and tell your readers the truth.
Let me make it easy for you. Here’s a hash tag: #MaiasTruth
If you’re determined to trend the girl as a topic on the Internet, trend with the truth. Don’t perpetuate or sensationalize something that affects many African American families.
Now, let’s help some other folks out. Here are some websites providing information on schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. Retweet these, like them on Friendfeed, and post them on Facebook. In fact, email them to your friends. Use your mobiles to spread the truth in love and not a lie in mocking.
Trend with truth.
African Americans have 200% higher risk of schizophrenia than Caucasian Americans
Organized Wisdom: African Americans and Schizophrenia
PAARTNERS: Project among African Americans to Explore Risks for Schizophrenia
Category: social media, Trends, web 2.0 | Tags: Bebe Moore Campbell, Bloggers, google trends, Maia Campbell, Schizophrenia, Trending Topics, Youtube.com video
About the Author Managing Editor. Blogger. Consultant. Nerd who likes it behind the scenes.
See all posts by Robin Caldwell.
This is one of the best comments on behalf of Maia Campbell. I just want to say thank you for posting that. I have been praying for her as well as her family. I check the internet from time to time for new positive information on Ms. Campbell. I will continue to keep her in my prayers as we all must. Prayer works! And He hears us.
Well done Nicole, I had an uncle who returned from Vietnam with a massive mental problem and self medicated for more than 18 years. My heart hurts for everyone of them, Maia and I are the same age and everyday I volunteer with the homeless and see it… I pray for all of them and thank her mother for speaking out on it
we need to keep Maia in our prayes. keep her lefted up she going through a lot right now so Maia keep your head up we praying for u.
we need to keep Maia in our prayes. keep her lefted up she going through a lot right now so Maia keep your head up we praying for u.
Sad, we need to help not hurt.
I saw that video and it broke my heart. I’m glad she is now getting the help she needs. When I saw that video, I thought it was only drug abuse that contributed to her irratic behavior but, now I see that it was mental illness. My family has a history of schizophrenia as well but, I’m still ignorant as to how it becomes hereditary (especially in the black community) in the 1st place.
I recently saw the you tube tape. I was shocked and pained by her obvious diseased state. As a nurse I have worked with countless patients with mental illnesses, it takes an army to fight this war. Her mother was a strong women and it is beacuse of her I began reading novels as an adult. She shed light on the topic of menal illness in the black community when it is not discussed. We need more education and understanding as a community. Thank you for this blog.
Support of the Lou Zhu, Lou Zhu worked hard
Signature——————————————————————————————————————–
Nothing is impossible for a willing heart.
ugg classic cardy
Robin, you’ve made an awesome point. Since when did the need for prolification of information supersede the need for truth? We have a responsibility to discuss, blog, text, tweet and share only what is relevant and truthful, especially when a person (not their behavior) is the topic.
Thank you for sharing and bringing clarity to this issue.
Maia u have my prayers! stay strong.
THANKS TO YOU AND THE GOD YOU SERVE . I FELT SO BAD FOR THIS YOUNG BEAUTIFUL TALENTED GIRL THE PEOPLE WHO RIDICULE HER BETTER BE CAREFUL KARMA IS A BITCH!! O:-)
THANK YOU for providing the family and Maia dignity in this time of pain and peril.
I thank you for this blog….rarely is the topic of mental health discussed in our community – yet alone our families. We tend to walk around the subject and accept things for the way they are BUT the reaklity of it is ….it does not have to be. Both of my brothers have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. It is a diagnosis it is not who they are…..in other words it does not define them. The video was insensitive not just because she is Maia Campbell BUT because she is a person- a hurting person.
My prayer is that she begins to address the issues that are causing her so much distress- then she can begin to heal. Healing is a process that begins with being truthful to yourself and the others around you that may or may not have caused your hurt. Tech site or not….I appreciate your compassion.
U CAN CALL OTHER KREWS OUT.
Tell Other, Jerk, Regrats, Stanky Legg and Freeze Dance Crews ……..the GETOFF! On http://WWW.SickNJerk.com ……there are lots of prizes available including cash and Gear…….. The more profiles & Videos Uploads the bigger the prizes ……. spread the word. THE NEW OFFICIAL GETOFF SITE IS OPEN……SICKNJERK.COM
