ELLEN:
ELLEN: OFFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTED THE NEED FOR ACTION AND CHANGE WHEN
IT COMES TO RACISM.
KRISTEN: THE AMERICAN
PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION ISSUED
AN APOLOGY FOR ITS SUPPORT OF
RACISM IN PSYCHIATRY.
I SPOKE TO THE DIRECTOR OF A
TREATMENT COMMUNITY IN THE CITY
ABOUT HOW RACISM AFFECTS MENTAL
HEALTH TREATMENT.
HEALTH TREATMENT. WELCOME BACK TO "GREAT DAY
WASHINGTON"
WASHINGTON" RECENTLY THE APA FELT THE NEED
TO APOLOGIZED TO PEOPLE OF
COLOR.
COLOR.
COLOR. WHAT WAS THE REASON BEHIND THIS
APOLOGY?
APOLOGY?
APOLOGY? >> THE APA, THE AMERICAN
PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION, IS THE
OLDEST PHYSICIAN ORGANIZATION IN
THE UNITED STATES.
AND IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THE
ISSUE THIS APOLOGY BECAUSE OVER
THE LAST CENTURY, TWO CENTURIES
THAT PSYCHIATRY HAS BEEN A
PRACTICE OF MEDICINE, THERE HAVE
BEEN SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL
RACIST PRACTICES THAT REALLY IT
IS LONG OVERDUE THAT THESE ARE
BEING ADDRESSED.
BEING ADDRESSED. I AM PLEASED TO SEE THAT THIS
STEP HAS BEEN TAKEN BUT IT IS
JUST ONE STEP.
BUT IT IS A REALLY IMPORTANT
CONVERSATION.
CONVERSATION. KRISTEN: ABSOLUTELY.
KRISTEN: ABSOLUTELY. WHAT ARE SOME OF THESE
DIFFERENCES?
DIFFERENCES? HOW HAVE PEOPLE OF COLOR BEEN
TREATED DIFFERENTLY WHEN IT
COMES TO MENTAL HEALTH?
>> IN THE LONG HISTORY, HUNDREDS
OF PE YEARS THERE HAS BEEN
CLEAR RACIAL DISPARITIES AND
THINGS LIKE DIAGNOSES.
FOR INSTANCE, MANY MANY YEARS
AGO TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO OR 100
YEARS AGO THERE WAS A DIAGNOSIS
OF THE NORMAL BEHAVIOR OF
WANTING TO ESCAPE SLAVERY.
SOMETHING THAT ANYONE OF US
WOULD BE DRIVEN TO WANT TO DO
WAS DIAGNOSED AND TREATED BUT
NOT TREATED WELL.
IT WAS TREATED BY LOCKING PEOPLE
AWAY IN DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS.
THAT IS THE FOUNDATION OF THIS
PRACTICE.
PRACTICE.
PRACTICE. BUT MORE RECENTLY OVER THE LAST
MANY YEARS, THERE HAVE BEEN
REALLY BASED IN MISDIAGNOSES,
DISPROPORTIONAL USE OF THINGS
LIKE MEDICATION FOR PEOPLE OF
COLOR, INDIGENOUS FOLKS, BLACK
FOLKS IN PARTICULAR.
SO WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING IS
THAT PEOPLE WERE OFTEN DIAGNOSED
WITH MORE SIGNIFICANT MENTAL
ILLNESSES LIKE SCHIZOPHRENIA,
AND TREATED WITH MORE MEDICATION
AND LESS THERAPY AS COMPARED TO
WHITE PATIENTS WHO PRESENTED
WITH THE EXACT SAME PRESENTING
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS. SO, THEY ARE OFTEN OVER TREATED
FOR MORE SEVERE DIAGNOSES, OR
OVERDIAGNOSED.
OVERDIAGNOSED. WHILE AT THE SAME TIME UNDER
TREATED FOR MORE COMMON
DIAGNOSES.
DIAGNOSES. UNDERDIAGNOSED FOR THINGS LIKE
POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER OR
DEPRESSION, ANXIETY OR OTHER
MOOD DISORDERS AND NOT TREATED
AND NOT LISTEN TO WHEN PEOPLE
ARE SAYING THEY ARE EXPERIENCING
THE TRAUMA OF THE RACIAL
AGGRESSION, MICRO-AGGRESSIONS
AGGRESSION, MICRO-AGGRESSIONS THEY ARE EXPERIENCING ON A DAILY
BASIS.
BASIS.
BASIS. KRISTEN: WHICH I'M SURE HAS
CONTRIBUTED TO THE STIGMA OF
NEEDING HELP FOR MENTAL HEALTH
AND PEOPLE NOT GOING TO SEEK
HELP.
HELP.
HELP. >>
HELP. >> YOU ARE EXACTLY RIGHT.
SO WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE
DISPARITIES IN THE ABILITY TO
ACCESS MENTAL HEALTH FOR FOLKS
OF COLOR.
OF COLOR.
OF COLOR. BLACK PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR,
INDIGENOUS FOLKS AS WELL.
PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE HISTORY OF
BEING MISTREATED.
BEING MISTREATED. I DO NOT BLAME PEOPLE FOR BEING
A LITTLE WORRIED.
WHAT AM I GOING TO GET WHEN I
SHOW UP IN THIS OFFICE?
ALSO BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF
PRACTITIONERS, MYSELF INCLUDED,
ARE WHITE FOLKS.
WE NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY,
THOSE OF US IN THE FIELD, WHO
HOLD WHITE PRIVILEGE AND OTHER
PRIVILEGES TO UNRAVEL SOME OF
THESE SYSTEMATIC RACIST
PRACTICES, ENGAGE IN SUPPORTING
PEOPLE COMING INTO THE FIELD
WITH A MORE DIVERSE BACKGROUND
OF IDENTITIES, AND THERE ARE
LOTS OF SYSTEMATIC THINGS AROUND
THAT, TOO.
THAT, TOO. FOR INSTANCE, MOST PSYCHOTHERAPY
TRAINING PROGRAMS REQUIRE AN
UNPAID INTERNSHIP AS PART OF THE
TRAINING PROCESS.
TRAINING PROCESS. SO THAT IS GOING TO BUILD IN
BARRIERS TO WHO CAN COME INTO
THE FIELD.
THE FIELD. SO IT IS ON BOTH SIDES, BOTH
ACCESSING TREATMENT AND THEN
ALSO THE FOLKS PROVIDING
TREATMENT AS WELL.
KRISTEN: CHANGE NEEDS TO HAPPEN.
ARE YOU SEEING THOSE STEPS BEING
TAKEN IN YOUR PROFESSION?
>> THE FIRST STEP I STARTED TO
SEE MORE RECENTLY AND IS JUST SO
CRUCIAL IS PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT
IT.
IT.
IT. HERE
IT. HERE WE ARE HAVING THIS
CONVERSATION, ESPECIALLY
CONVERSATION, ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT AT THIS TIME.
ALSO LONG-OVERDUE BUT I AM GLAD
TO BE TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE
THAT SILENCE IS WHAT CONTRIBUTES
TO KEEPING THE STATUS QUO WHICH
CONTRIBUTES TO KEEPING PEOPLE
OPPRESSED AND MARGINALIZED.
SO, THERE ARE MORE CONVERSATIONS
HAPPENING THESE DAYS WHICH IS
REALLY GOOD.
REALLY GOOD. PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO TRY AND
THINK ABOUT HOW ARE THEY
PERSONALLY CONTRIBUTING?
PERSONALLY CONTRIBUTING? WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE
SESSIONS THEY ARE HAVING WITH
FOLKS?
FOLKS?
FOLKS? HOW ARE WE ASSESSING PEOPLE AND
REALLY LOOKING AT DISPARITIES OF
ACCESS?
ACCESS?
ACCESS? AND THEN THERE ARE MORE
SYSTEMATIC THINGS THAT WE NEED
TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE IN UNLEARN
ING, THINGS LIKE IMPLICIT BIAS
AND RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT WHAT
ARE THE THINGS WE ARE LOOKING
FOR BASED ON THE VISIBLE AND
INVISIBLE IDENTITIES WE ARE
LEARNING ABOUT WITH OUR
PATIENTS?
PATIENTS?
PATIENTS? KRISTEN: EACH STEP FORWARD IS A
STEP HEADED IN THE RIGHT
DIRECTION.
DIRECTION. FOR MORE INFORMATION