The negative impact and consequences that systemic racism wields on the human condition can be seen in obvious ways. One only has to look around them and see the gross disparities when it comes to educational achievement, employment, quality of housing, and other living conditions between white Americans and other minorities, especially blacks.
Less obvious are the other insidious and often unspoken acute and chronic health consequences that systemic racism breeds among racial minorities and ethnic groups.
Inarguably, one’s health is the greatest asset he or she can possess. How many countless times have you witnessed or heard those with wealth or position lamenting that they would willingly trade it all to regain good health.
So how tragic it is that aside from the socio-economic, educational, and other environmental tolls racism takes on its victim, study results are confirming that racism is claiming, perhaps, the greatest toll of all on its victims – their mental and physical well-bring. Especially, its black victims.
Results from just study in 2011 (others have followed), and published in the online Journal of Psychology Counseling,found that experiencing racism has similar negative effects on mental health of black adults in the United States – and in many instances subsequent physical health conditions – as with some major trauma. This particular study analyzed the findings of 66 previous studies that looked at more than 18,000 black adults, which showed common conditions that occur as a result of experiencing racism and trauma.
Those conditions include psychological distress that is expressed as physical pain, depression, and higher rates of hypertension, which leads to strokes, heart disease, diabetes and other concomitant illnesses.
The study goes on to suggest that the link between mental health and racism does not only contribute to the physical health disparities between blacks and whites, but also other Americans of different races and ethnicities.
The study concludes that it is critical that mental health providers must include as a part of their therapeutic routine and treatment an assessment of their black patients' experiences with racism.
The scourge of racism can be compared to cancer with its negative and potentially deadly affect on those who are subjected to it repeatedly, at a sustained level or as a way of life.
If it were not enough for us as a society to work toward eradicating racism because of its obvious negative effects when it comes to education, employment, housing, etc., now that it has been confirmed that it erodes mental and physical health as well, how much more are we willing to pay to allow it to continue?
What will it take to show that racism is one of the greatest threats to health and the well-being of contemporary society?
Improving understanding across race, ethnicities, and race relation should be high on our national agenda.
Comments
I am not surprised to see
I am not surprised to see that a study has shown that racism is affecting the mental health of others, it's an evil thing, to be racist towards others. I hate that the thoughts of someone else is affecting another person.
Thoughts can only affect
Thoughts can only affect other people if they are acted upon. Like I said in my comment below, we cannot change how other people choose to act, but we can change how we act, and we can always reach out to other people.
True
It is true that it does make sense that it would effect the body as well as the mind, but it's still shocking how people don't know this and still try to make people feel bad about the color of their skin, or even try to make a joke about it.
I agree with your comment and
I agree with your comment and I am not surprised either. Things like bullying have been shown to have a mental and physical affect on it's victims as well. I am surprised that it has taken this long for a study like this to be done though. People in our country are so ready to fight for those who are bully victims, but seem to ignore some as extensive and long lasting as racism.
In a real sense that is what
In a real sense that is what happens because it became that racism hinder people to get their basic requirement for their well being. so life of the people are threatened because of racism.
Unfortunately, we cannot
Unfortunately, we cannot change what other people say or do to others, so prejudices will always be around. The article suggested that mental health providers help combat the affects of racism by making an assessment of all their black clients' experiences with racism. I think they should focus on teaching them coping skills. I believe teaching anyone good coping skills is a great way of helping them maintain good mental health. Good coping skills can help people see that, even though you live in bad conditions, you can still be a happy, healthy person.
Teaching coping skills would
Teaching coping skills would probably help but that will never fully satisfy the issue. Many people would argue that the people that make racist comments are the ones that need to be helped and changed. Just teaching people to cope with something does not solve the problem, but it would help some people that are dealing with depression.
Teaching coping skills won't
Teaching coping skills won't solve the problem at all. It might have a benefit as it can help them dealing with racism or make it cause less harm to themselves. This kind of problem won't change as quickly as the ideal should be, so it's important for them to be prepared and know how to defend themselves against racist people by not letting racist comments or actions affect them as much. Because the reacist person is the one with the serious problem and needs to immediately change their behaviour towards other people. It is a basic rule when you live in society: respect!
Respect is so important
Respect is so important because in a respectful society, people can learn to appreciate each other. The students making racist comments in schools could be shown by counselors how it affects people, because if they are taught when they are young, it could make a huge difference.
Children should be taught
Children should be taught about the possible serious damage racism and discrimination can cause over time. If they are taught at a young age, we can hope that violent acts can be prevented in the future. Children are the future and thus, the emphasis should lay on how we can teach them about the negative and serious consequences violence of any form can have for those you suffer under it. This might be through counselors, as suggested above, but there are other ways as well. The more variety the better since everyone learns and understands differently.
But my point is that we can't
But my point is that we can't change other people. If someone is racist, they should change their attitude. But how will you get them to do that? You won't. You say that it is important for them to be prepared and know how to defend themselves by not letting racist comments and actions affect them as much, and that is where the coping skills come in. We can't change how some people think and act in a racist way, but we can help the people affected by those prejudices by teaching them how to cope with them.
Respect is an ideal, but it is not a rule. You cannot force someone to respect others. It simply cannot be done.
Maybe I didn't express myself
Maybe I didn't express myself correctly, I apologize.
I was actually agreeing with you in many points... except one: I truly believe that we CAN change people's minds...by educating them! Of course it is not an easy task, but it has to start somehow and I guess it has already started... but maybe it needs more reiforcement.
Respect is only the first step of this long journey.
Although you can't force
Although you can't force people to respect other people, you can teach them how to do it. If everyone teaches their children (which I realize is not realistic at all) to be respectful of other people, then they will. Although the generations that are alive today can not reach mutual respect, maybe future generations can.
It is true that you can not
It is true that you can not make force someone to respect you but others can be taught how to respect one another, and about how to change people from being racist can also be possible. What is suppose to be is to let people aware about the effects of racism and why racism is not good in our societies as for all humans, because you can find others are racist without any sensible reason.IT is the time how for society to make an end of racism.
well, it is true that u can
well, it is true that u can not force someone to respect you but, I think on the situation of changes it is possible because people through making them aware about the effects of racist and how it is causing problems in the society people can be educated and we can make an end of this
I don't think this discovery
I don't think this discovery is very surprising. It is obvious that stress causes physical illness. Unfortunately, the extreme racism that still happens can highly affect someone. It is sad to think that people's prejudices are actually causing physical pain and illness within a group of people. However, maybe raising this awareness could possibly educate and help prevent racism, at least to some small degree.
I agree that this research is
I agree that this research is not surprising. Stress does not only cause physical illness but also mental illness (i.e. depression). It is very sad knowing that people continue to cause other people pain based on skin color. Raising awareness to all races may ease racism slightly, but I don't think the people who are making the racist comments will stop because of this.
I think it's interesting to
I think it's interesting to hear the statistics from a study on racism on black people, but I'd like to compare the statistics between different races. Do Chinese Americans show the same effects that black americans do? I would like to see the data.
Good point. If researchers
Good point. If researchers are going to make generalizations on how racism negatively affects people, they need to focus on more than just one ethnic background.
i think the topic does not
i think the topic does not refer racism to the blacks only but it keep on emphasize of the blacks because are the ones who are mostly affected by racism in America due to the historical background. So not only black but for the blacks especially, that is according to what i see.it can be that other minority are affected but not to the extent that the blacks do affected by racism
Blacks are mostly affected by
Blacks are mostly affected by racism in the United States in comparison to other minority groups? Your thought is incredibly absurd. What about Native Americans? The development of the United States drove them out of their native lands and now they struggle to keep their heritage and traditions alive. You don't think Native Americans struggle mentally from the discrimination they've faced, especially older members of the minority group?
I completely agree with this.
I completely agree with this. There has always been an issue between the black and white so it's not surprising that they'd do a study solely on the effects of racism against them. I'd like to see more of the studies showing americans from other backgrounds and not just the mainstream black vs. whites. I think doing a study on white people would be good also, designs as they also can experience racism especially when there are so few in a predominantly black community. Do they not experience the same stresses?
it's the same effect
i agree with your point of view, but i also think the conducted research although it may sound or refer to the black population, i think that is merely a generalization to all the groups of people that have to live with the consequences of racial slurs, be it blacks, asians, native americans and so forth. Matter of fact is, the consequences of racism do not pick upon these different races, but they affect the psychological well being just the same way in all the races
I think this study may be a
I think this study may be a springboard for other studies of the same type. I think concrete evidence often can support change and this study seems to bear results which could impact how America views racism.
I also believe that it would
I also believe that it would be interesting to hear about the differences between the effects of racism for the many different ethnic backgrounds of Americans. Maybe some are more sensitive than others and maybe some are discriminated against more than others.
We all have those people that
We all have those people that doubts us and are mean to us. If we all let those people get to us then we would all be depressed or have a mental illness. We all need to learn and except that there will always be people that put you down and make rude comments but we can't allow others to have that much power to control us. Yes somethings that are extreme can take a toll on someone because it is so extreme. But everyone has their problems and people that are rude. The only way to not let the other person have so much power over you is to ignore them and know that they are wrong.
I understand your point and
I understand your point and it is absolutely true that it will eventually happen to everyone.
That's why we see teenagers commiting suicide, cutting themselves, having eating disorders... and all kinds of depressing simptoms... they start to feel unsatisfied with themselves, because the media and people tell them everyday that there is something wrong with them and that they don't "fit"or "belong"... and at the end of the day, if we look at real facts, they haven't done anything to deserve that kind of treatment. And that is just one type of problem out of many we see in our society - and I didn't even mentioned any ethnic group. I am just refering to extreme disrespect that caused mental illness.
However, here we are discussing specifically about racism, prejudice against race, and the base of the study was black people. It is not a simple and a person who is not black will never fully understand what they have to cope with... and this happens because of only one fact: they were born with a darker skin color... that's it. That is the only thing that takes an ignorant person to make comments about them. If they have done something wrong, then it is a different case.
everyone has their problems.
everyone has their problems. i think the fact they are only looking at minorities shadows the real problem which is bullying. the bullying is built upon the prejudice of their skin color. i think that these people should not only learn to cope with the reality of our world today but also fight back with their own mentality of the subject. yes we cant control what people say and do, but we can control what we say and do as a person. maltreatment sucks, believe me because i am a minority. but i also see myself no different than the next person whether they be black, white or blue. i see myself as a person not a color. no it is not our fault the way we are treated but it is our fault how we choose to react to the abuse. we can become depressed like some that were in this study or do our best to make the most of the situation and build ourselves up from the situation.
I think you can kinda compare
I think you can kinda compare someone that is black being discriminated on to a teenage girl that gets bullied everyday at school because she isn't as pretty or as popular. Both of these are an extreme form of bullying. People need to learn how to handle being bullied and the people that are the bullies need to realize that we are different. Yes I know this study was based on black people being discriminated on but that can be compared to other people that are being discriminated on based off their looks. Discrimination is and extreme form of bullying but so is getting beat up or being called names and being harassed in school. Discrimination can be compared to many different things that are just as cruel. People in this world are mean and they will make fun or harassed or do whatever they want to you just being you look different, act different, come from a different background... the list could go on and on.
i honestly think that
i honestly think that bullying is bullying. in some cases it is more severe than others, but in the end it boils dont to the fact that that person is being treated poorly. people nowadays focus too much on who's being bullied, which dont get me wrong we should be concerned with; but instead of dealing with bullying itself we deal with the people involved. in this case the people involved are blacks. they are saying what caused the problem and what the problem is, but the overall article is about their color being the thing that led to the problem not the bullying itself.
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