Past trauma is one of the main causes for serious mental health conditions, according to Mental Health America. For people of color, traumatic experiences can occur everyday. Discrimination, negative behavior towards a certain group of people, and prejudice, a negative attitude towards a particular group, are overly prominent in today’s world, and they can have serious effects on mental health.
Racism has been an issue for centuries, dating back to the 1600’s, and while people have come a long way from that point, it still exists today. Experiencing racism causes trauma for many individuals, causing negative mindsets, doubts, and fear which all can lead to mental health conditions. Mental Health America lists ways that people of color experience acts of racism in their day to day lives including being ignored or avoided by peers, racial profiling, mass incarceration of peers, and much more. It is important to educate younger generations and help combat racism to protect the people around us.
Unfortunately, many young BIPOC develop mental health conditions, whether they stemmed from experiencing racism or not. Yet, for people of color it is much harder to find help, and professionals are much quicker to mis-diagnose. Black men are four times more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia compared to white men, mainly because mental health professionals overlook severe depression as a potential diagnosis (MHA, 2023). Along with that, black adults are 20% more likely to have psychological distress compared to white adults (MHA, 2023). Mental health resources are difficult to come by for a lot of people regardless of their race and ethnicity, yet BIPOC have a significantly harder time.
Another unfortunate outcome for a lot of BIPOC youth is the juvenile justice system. BIPOC youth are much more likely to end up in the juvenile justice system due to unfair practices and disciplinary measures in schools. Mental Health America reports that 50 to 75% of youth in the juvenile justice system meet the diagnostic criteria for a mental health disorder. It is important to develop fair and safe practices for all students no matter the race so that every child in the country has equal opportunities.
To conclude, racism heavily effects mental health, triggering disorders such as depression, PTSD, and even schizophrenia. With education on diversity and cultures starting early in schools, and fair practices for all children, the amounts of youth that end up in the juvenile justice system can significantly decrease. It is crucial to treat people with respect and appreciate their uniqueness to help protect everyone from mental health disorders.
References:
https://mhanational.org/racism-and-mental-health
https://admissions.nd.edu/visit-engage/stories-news/learning-together-where-did-racism-begin/