Primary Positions
The History of Mental Health Issues in the Black Community
Mental illness among African-Americans has been present since Africans were first brought to the colonial south as slaves. In 1812, the father of American Psychiatry, Benjamin Rush, observed a disorder among Africans which caused them to become insane soon after entering slavery (Rush, 1812). He called this disorder Negritude. “The only cure,” he wrote in his journal Medical Inquiries and Observations Upon the Disease of the Mind, “was to become white,” (1812). Other mental disorders unique to African-Americans during the early 1800s, such as Dysaethesia Aethiopica which caused deterioration of the skin and mischievous or slow behavior and Drapetomia which caused slaves …show more content…
This has supported subnormal race relations that have led to blacks having lower social standing in America. This societal view is a factor in unequal access to employment, education, and housing (Pittman, 2011). Race discrimination affects the overall psychological and physiological well-being of African-Americans. Forms of chronic racial discrimination--such as receiving threats, receiving poorer service, being treated with less respect, and being treated as fearsome--and acute racial discrimination--such as not being hired, being fired, denied a promotion, being harassed by law enforcement individuals, being discouraged by a teacher, and housing discrimination--can cause forms of stress that lead to depression, anxiety, hypertension, and other negative health consequences (Pittman, …show more content…
Passive strategies--which include avoidance, withdrawal, silence, and laughter when dealing with racism--lead to lower self-esteem, lower life-satisfaction, and an increased chance of developing a drug addiction (Pittman, 2011). Black youth, who have to learn how to cope with hostility early in life, often struggle emotionally when forming their identity (Ward et al., 2013). Blacks are consistently pressured to downplay their cultural identities in order to function in a society that adheres to Eurocentric ideals. African attitudes, values, and politics are superimposed on when they are not imitative of the European community, which weakens the functioning of the Black identity (Ward et al.,
The History of Mental Health Issues in the Black Community
Mental illness among African-Americans has been present since Africans were first brought to the colonial south as slaves. In 1812, the father of American Psychiatry, Benjamin Rush, observed a disorder among Africans which caused them to become insane soon after entering slavery (Rush, 1812). He called this disorder Negritude. “The only cure,” he wrote in his journal Medical Inquiries and Observations Upon the Disease of the Mind, “was to become white,” (1812). Other mental disorders unique to African-Americans during the early 1800s, such as Dysaethesia Aethiopica which caused deterioration of the skin and mischievous or slow behavior and Drapetomia which caused slaves …show more content…
This has supported subnormal race relations that have led to blacks having lower social standing in America. This societal view is a factor in unequal access to employment, education, and housing (Pittman, 2011). Race discrimination affects the overall psychological and physiological well-being of African-Americans. Forms of chronic racial discrimination--such as receiving threats, receiving poorer service, being treated with less respect, and being treated as fearsome--and acute racial discrimination--such as not being hired, being fired, denied a promotion, being harassed by law enforcement individuals, being discouraged by a teacher, and housing discrimination--can cause forms of stress that lead to depression, anxiety, hypertension, and other negative health consequences (Pittman, …show more content…
Passive strategies--which include avoidance, withdrawal, silence, and laughter when dealing with racism--lead to lower self-esteem, lower life-satisfaction, and an increased chance of developing a drug addiction (Pittman, 2011). Black youth, who have to learn how to cope with hostility early in life, often struggle emotionally when forming their identity (Ward et al., 2013). Blacks are consistently pressured to downplay their cultural identities in order to function in a society that adheres to Eurocentric ideals. African attitudes, values, and politics are superimposed on when they are not imitative of the European community, which weakens the functioning of the Black identity (Ward et al.,