![]() ![]() According to an independent review of the UK’s Mental Health Act in 2018, “profound inequalities” were found to exist, with black British people four times more likely to be sectioned than white people and more likely to be given psychoactive medication instead of a talking therapy.Īnd while medication treats the symptoms, without some sort of talking therapy the underlying issues remain unaddressed. Research has shown that a black client’s experience can be misinterpreted by a white therapist and lead to dangerous misdiagnoses. This, coupled with the high financial costs, means that black people may be less inclined to access services because of the therapist’s perceived lack of understanding when it comes to culture or indeed, the black experience. ![]() ![]() In both the US and the UK, the majority of counsellors and psychotherapists are white. “ just feeds into the disrespect with which we are treated,” she says, “as if we are not quite human.”Īs well as this, being constantly reminded that a black person is more at risk of dying of Covid-19 because of health inequalities and poverty, or that black woman have a higher chance of dying during childbirth add to the constant stream of negative messages and images associated with being black. Yvonne Bailey-Smith, a family psychotherapist from London describes the continual news coverage showing the murder of a black person as “brutalising”. Can the legacy of trauma be passed down?.Why overcoming racism is essential for humanity’s survival.This effect – known as “racial trauma” – can lead to depression, hypervigilance, chronic stress and fatigue, bodily inflammation and symptoms similar to post traumatic stress disorder. The experience of racism – both direct and indirect in the form of micro-aggressions or exposure to racism via the media – can have a devastating effect on the mental health of black people. The significant role that race and systemic racism play both historically and in today's world can, and is, affecting individuals psychologically.Īs a psychotherapist, the impact is often felt in the consulting room with black clients who are experiencing anxiety, anger, exhaustion and a feeling of powerlessness in the face of racial inequalities and injustices. The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests across the globe is taking its toll on the mental health of black people. ![]()
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