The Effect of Racism on a Person’s Mental Health
Racism is a huge issue in our nation today that comes with many outcomes. The biggest one is mental health. We all generally think of how mental health impact people of different groups, but due to racism black people are traumatized.
Some causes of mental health for black people are internalized racism, the
lack of mental health care in the community, and
hate crimes unique to African Americans.
Internalized Racism
One noteworthy impact on African American mental health is from Internalized racism. Many African Americans feel internalized racism.
Sosoo, Bernard and Neblette states, Black people have experienced different prejudices from other groups of people for a long time on tv and it has affected their mental health (11). For example. David Childs,“
an early 20th-century popular radio and television show titled Amos ’n’ Andy (and later titled The Amos ’n’ Andy Show), which aired from 1925 to 1953, depicted the two main Black characters as lazy, stupid, uneducated imbeciles who unwarily find themselves in various mishaps due to their lack of intelligence, all to the delight of White audiences”(1). Other groups of people denied black people with mental health issues from businesses. African American people believe the negative things that other races of people in the media say about them. They will make black people feel ashamed by stigmatizing them and making them think that their mental illness is their fault which it is not, they will make them feel that other races of people are not capable to understand them this will cause them to feel depressed and they will think that the person will not help them.
Other marginalized groups feel internalized racism too.
Jung Eun Kim states, “Asian Americans specifically, internalization of racism has been associated with negative psychosocial consequences for the population, including general distress, anxiety, and depression, poorer self-esteem, and poorer-quality of life”(5). Kim found, “Recent efforts have expanded beyond the model minority stereotype to capture internalization of racism and stereotypes among Asian Americans that are more blatantly negative and hostile” (5). Kim studied, “These more nuanced and understudied stereotypes that of become internalized among Asian Americans include general devaluation of 6 Asian Americans as well as perceptions of Asian Americans as inherently deficient, weak, and less attractive” (5).Lydia HaRim Ahn found, “Both quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that COVID-19 racism against East Asians and East Asian Americans living in the United States negatively affect their mental health”(1). Ahn found, “In mid-2020, about one-third of Asian Americans reported having either anxiety or depressive symptoms compared to only 11% of all individuals in the United Stated in the earlier half of 2019” (2). Ahn also found, “that approximately 29% of Asian Americans indicated an increase in mental health symptoms, including greater psychological distress, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic”(4).
When people feel internalized racism, it can cause anxiety. For example,
Sosoo, Bernard,
and Neblet
te found that their 157 study participants who internalized racism the most, experienced the most anxiety (1). These results show that members internalized racism more, black people are more likely to experience anxiety and it is because they experienced negative stereotyping about their own race from other groups of people and it affects their emotions. The study’s findings shows that black people experience anxiety from the white culture that has different
beliefs towards them.
They studied the influence of internalized racism on the relationship between discrimination and anxiety and discovered that race-related stress and internalized racism affect a person’s mental health a lot (1). Sosoo, Bernard, and Neblette, explained that when someone is dealing with race-related stress from idealized racism. It makes black people believe that by taking part in their own cultural groups they will feel lesser and unacceptable by other groups of people. They would consider themselves and take part in their own cultural groups with self-consciousness and self-rejection. Black people with internalized racism are aware of their own ethnic identity struggles, others are aware of their own racial bias and stigma.
This anxiety can cause big problems.
Black people will struggle with an anxiety disorder is because they will believe that they are inferior and that the other race of people are superior. Mental health America found that sixteen percent of Black and African American people reported having a mental illness. (1). Black people will feel imperfect and that they are not able to do anything well, and limiting beliefs will affect their self-esteem and ruin their confidence. It makes it harder for a person to concentrate and do their daily needs. When a person wants to do the things they want, anxiety will hinder that person from doing something.
In regard to what can be done to stop internalized racism from affecting a lot of people’s mental health. People should go see a psychiatrist and recover from bad remembrances of internalized racism, from something bad that had happened to them when they were being mistreated, where they have been hurt by the internalized racism from other races of people. We all need counselors to teach people to be proud of themselves, and the kind of family they came from, and their heritage. Having a support network everywhere to talk to people it will help a person recover from race-related stress and it will help them interact with other people that share the same experiences and emotions it can help a person effectively navigate through racism. When a person has the social support, they will be more flexible, when they face stressful situations. A person should use their belief system to deal with stress, by socializing with other people that share the same belief, and they can share with them what they went through, and it can also help them overcome it.
Lack of mental health care in the community
The lack of mental health care and racial trauma in the black community it can cause a lot of mental health issues.
Thomas A. Vance states, Black people have a higher rate of anxiety and depression than other races of people. They give three reasons for this: they don’t have access to mental health care, they deal with racism and prejudice every day and they suffer from racial and historical trauma, so they are afraid to go to the doctor (1).
Vance states 20% of Black people have major mental health issues in their community and they experience a lot of major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Vance also says that young Black people have higher rate of mental health problems because they don’t use mental health services even when they’re available (2)
Vance also says that young Black people have a higher rate of mental health problems because they don’t use mental health services even when they’re available (2). Vance list some more reasons why this happens: Black people don’t trust the mental health care system because of the history of abuse in those places, they sometimes don’t have extra money or insurance, and many people had bad experiences with mental health care because people were prejudiced toward them. (2).
Vance states according to research shows that Black people are less likely to go to mental health care facilities because they are afraid of discrimination in other past negative situations (2). Vance states according to research shows that Black people are less likely to go to mental health care facilities because they are afraid of discrimination in other past negative situations (2).
According to
National Alliance on Mental Illness, Black people experience racism and discrimination, and it impacts their mental health. The black community faces problems accessing mental health care facilities they need in their neighborhoods (3). According to Christine Crawford states, African Americans don’t often seek mental health care. Researchers found 25% of Black people look for mental health care. 40% of Caucasians. Crawford states, “There is not an equal eligible mental health care.10% of African Americans are without health insurance, While 5.2% of non-Hispanic Caucasians people do(6). Crawford states, When African Americans wants mental health care they are likely to go to urgent care than a mental health doctor(6).According to Monnica T. Williams states, African Americans face racial trauma, which may include symptoms of traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression (1). Williams states, Racial trauma is trauma based on race, (1). Dias states, it emotionally and physically affects a person and can cause (PTSD) symptoms (3). Lillian states, it is difficult to heal because the trauma continues (4).
The lack of mental health care in the communities, it doesn’t only affect black people it also affects Asian American people. Samantha Artiga and Nirmita Panchal states, “Among people with mental illness, Asian people are less likely to utilize mental health services compared to other racial and ethnic groups. In 2021, among adults with any mental illness in the past year, only 25% of Asian adults reported receiving mental health services compared to 52% of White adults” (1). Artiga and Panchal found, “research points to the lack of a diverse mental health provider workforce and the absence of culturally informed treatment options for Asian people, which may contribute to lower utilization”(1).
Geoffrey Liu, MD states, “Asian Americans fear being thought of as weak or “crazy” for having a psychological disorder—perhaps more than any other group. Shame and embarrassment force many to struggle in silence and never seek help (2).MD founds, “Asian Americans don’t seek care is the way their culture stigmatizes mental illness” (2).MD also found, “They characterize themselves as intelligent, industrious, and fully in charge of their lives. For many, admitting to “They characterize themselves as intelligent, industrious, and fully in charge of their lives. For many, admitting to “weakness” would be letting down the entire community” (2). Grace Galletti states, “Asian American experience, stigma, pressure to live up to the myth of Asian American success, and culturally inappropriate services prevent people from getting the mental health care they need” (3). Galletti found, “Asian cultures believe that mental health problems are the result of wrongdoings in a past life” (3). Galletti asserts, “This leads people to accept mental illness as a hardship they must endure, rather than seek help” (3). Zara Abrams states, “In a spring 2020 survey of 410 Asian Americans, 29% of participants reported an increase in discrimination. Those who faced discrimination were more likely to have problems with anxiety, depression, and sleep than those who did not. Lower levels of social support were also associated with worse physical and mental health” (1). Abrams asserts, “These problems are compounded by the fact that AAPI individuals are less likely than other racial groups to seek mental health treatment, including inpatient care, outpatient care, or prescription medications”(1).
As mentioned, especially black people are less likely to seek help at mental health care facilities.
National Alliance on Mental Illness
states, “Stigma and judgment prevent Black and African American people from seeking treatment for their mental illnesses. Research indicates that Blacks and African Americans believe that mild depression or anxiety would be considered “crazy” in their social circles” (1). They are afraid someone is going to say something bad about them. National Alliance on Mental Illness found, “Disparities in access to care and treatment for Black and African American people have also persisted over time.
While the implementation of the Affordable Care Act has helped to close the gap in uninsured individuals, 11.5 percent of Black and African Americans, versus 7.5 percent of white Americans were still uninsured in 2018.
In 2018, 58.2 percent of Black and African American young adults 18-25 and 50.1 percent of adults 26-49 with serious mental illness did NOT receive treatment.
Nearly 90 percent of Black and African American people over the age of 12 with a substance use disorder did not receive treatment.
In 2016, 12.3 percent of Black and African American adults who had a doctor’s office or clinic visit over the past year had difficulty getting needed care, tests or treatment compared to 6.8 percent of white adults”(2).
Ashleigh-Rae Thomas states, “Seeing a mental health professional, like a therapist, counselor, or psychiatrist, who doesn’t understand what it’s like to be Black, can make for a difficult experience when trying to receive help”(1). Thomas says, “Unconscious bias in medicine can show up as not believing Black people who are seeking mental health care, or therapists who are unequipped to take care of Black patients”(2). Thomas states, “many Black people are deprived of mental health support because of the systemic oppression they may be facing in their lives”(2).
hate crimes unique to African Americans
Issues from hate crimes are unique to African American and it has a negative mental effect.
According to www.apa.org states, “People that were victims of hate crime experience more emotional stress than victims of crime or not motivated by race (1). Denise Martinez states, Violence towards African Americans doesn’t only affect them physically but can often lead to emotional stress and can cause negative emotions that can lead to PTSD or depression (1). Denise states, The stress caused by prejudice, verbal abuse, and separation is linked to unequal health results. (1). Anna Boiko-Weyrauch notes that people’s mental health is affected when they feel they’ve been treated with racism (1).
Black people that experience hate crimes it can also affect their mental health. Inta Dzelme states,“
the association highlights that psychological and emotional damage, intense feelings of fear, vulnerability, anger, and depression, physical ailments and learning problems, and difficult interpersonal relations - all symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder - can be brought on by a hate crime”(11).Dzelme states,“
an emotion caused by the threat of some form of harm, sometimes manifested in bravado or symptoms of anxiety, and prompting a decision to fight the threat or escape from it,”19 is repeatedly suggested as the primary emotion that, following the experience of hate crime, alters the victim’s choices in life”(12).Dzelme States,“
A sense of anger that is one of the common responses to being the victim of a hate crime. It arises from a deep sense of personal hurt and betrayal. Victims experience feelings of powerlessness, isolation, sadness and suspicion”(12).Dzelme found, “victims of hate crimes suffer more severe psychological consequences than victims of non-hate crimes”(13).Dzelme found,“
Victims of hate crime not only have the direct experience of the crime, but often also encounter double or secondary victimization through biases and the blame of people and institutions they come in contact afterward. The fear of being treated unfairly and negatively by those who are supposed to help affects the willingness of the victims to report and seek help for recovery” (12). Dzelme found, “About
one-third of hate crime victims report behavioral changes both as coping responses to the most recent attack and as attempts to avoid potential future victimization” (14). Dzelme found,“
People who are not members of the victim’s social group, but also belong to minority groups, may behave similarly, fearing for their own safety”(1). Here is an example, Samantha Gholar found, “the recent Buffalo, New York, mass shooting where a white man drove 200 miles to a historic Black neighborhood and shot 13 people in a store – 11 of whom were Black”(1). Gholar found, “
The mass shooting, which is now being investigated as a hate crime by the Department of Justice, has prompted a resurgence of trauma and grief in Black Americans due to continued racial attacks on the targeted community”(1). Gholar found, “The FBI Hate Crime Statistics report released last October shows an increase in racial violence against Black people and people of color in the U.S. in recent years. According to the report, hate crimes against Black people rose from 1,930 in 2019, to 2,755 in 2020” (3). Gholar also found,“
The summer of 2020 began a time marked by protests, public outcry against racism, a global pandemic, and the inception of a large social justice movement in the U.S. Since then, nearly 62% of victims of hate crimes have been documented as saying they were targeted because of their race or ethnicity, according to the FBI data”(3).Dzelme found,“
Hate crimes thus have the potential to create entire communities of victims. “While a hate-motivated crime committed against a single person may adversely affect that individual, hate crimes also can create scores of secondary victims. These victims may be family and friends, or others who associate with the group to which the victim identified.” (14). Dzelme found,“
However, most victims of violence never seek professional help to deal with the psych-emotional impact of traumatic events. Even if they would, treating trauma survivors can be a complicated and time-consuming endeavor” (15).Dzelme states,“
This unwillingness to seek legal help has been reinforced by unsatisfactory encounters with police in the past. While seeking assistance or reporting a hate incident, victims have felt that they have received an unfair treatment, which has left them with an additional sense of helplessness”(19).