Effects of Racism on Mental Health | Mental Health Webinar

Learn about the impacts of racism on mental health and strategies and support to overcome them.

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- The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), a non-profit organization, leads in education, training, and research for anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, OCD, and co-occurring disorders. ADAA also provides free evidence-based mental health information and resources to the public.

0:00 Introduction
5:06 Socioeconomic disparities • Neighborhood conditions • Biological factors • Family history Life experiences • Exposure to violence
7:47 Mental Health in Communities of Color • Black Americans 20% more likely to report psychological distress as compared to White Americans • Racial and ethnic minorities endure a disproportionately higher burden of disability due to mental health struggles • For Black and Latinx individuals depression is likely to be more persistent • Racial and ethnic minority youth with behavioral system as opposed to primary care settings
11:00 What is Racism? Beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and institutional and systemic approaches that degrade, belittle, and devalue groups based on the color of their skin or ethnoracial background • Deployment of power against groups perceived as inferior at both the individual
18:32 What does Racism Look Like? • Structural/institutional Racism • Voter disenfranchisement • Harsher sentencing in the justice system • Individual Level • A professor being surprised by your intelligence • Being told that your admission to an institution is due to
29:22 Hate Crimes Criminal offense against person or property motivated in whole or in part by offenders bias against race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, or ethnicity • Rates have steadily increased since 2014 • Up 11.7% in 2016 compared to 2014
41:16 Racial Battle Fatigue Daily "battle" of experiencing racial slights, insults, stereotypes, discrimination, etc. • Stress is created because of the chronically hostile environment On guard so you can respond to each insult/attack
43:26 Perception of Control • One's view of his/her own ability to influence environment or experiences • Belief that acting in line with society's expectations yield safety, respect, and value • Perception of the uncontrollability of one's environment: Initiated and maintained by the frequency of racist experiences
47:33 Avoidance of Valued Action Engaging in meaningful actions consistent with one's values • Experience of racism contributes to the avoidance of valued action • Valued actions associated with less stress
55:43 Self-Compassion • Understanding, acknowledging, and accepting the fact that we are human • Being human involves many things that society deems "bad," wrong," or "unpleasant • We are not and cannot be perfect • We experience a full range of human emotions We negatively evaluate these emotions