Racism And Mental Health

Racism can also be internalized whereby the members of the oppressed group start to accept belief and attitudes about their inferiority. Racism may have a significant Impact on the mental health of indigenous population, especially children as it could lead to depression and anxiety. This has been reflected in the Western Australian Child Health Survey, which demonstrated that indigenous youth have higher overall incidence of general mental health problems than their none-indegenous counterpart. Furthermore, 26% of indigenous young people compared 17% of non-indigenous In the age group of 4-11 were reported to be suffering from mental health. The Bring Them Home report portrays that portrays that forced separation and institutionalization …show more content…
Indigenous youth whilst growing up experience confusion and embarrassment due to their district sense of identity, resulting in shame. Moreover, the structural racism, discrimination and marginalisation they face daily, results in further self-esteem resulting in mental health problem such as anxiety and depression (Adermann & Campbell, 2016). Anxiety and depression or unstable mental health can also lead to suicide, which is the fifth most common cause of death for Aboriginal in 2013. It is informed to be twice as high compared to non-indigenous is especially apparent for young people. Suicide was not considered common in traditional Aboriginal society, even up to 1960s, it was a rare case. However, 1970s saw rise in incidence of suicide cases, resulting in premature mortality. (Elliot-Farrelly, 2005) Tatz (1999) states that many youth express a sense of emptiness from general loss of cultural, ritual and …show more content…
It has been reported that misunderstandings and miscommunication causes hindrance, resulting in negative experience for the young Aboriginal as the practices are not executed in a culturally validated manner. Praticiners need to develop cultural competency in their work with young indigenous; it refers to the ability of practitioners to identity and intervene in treatment in ways that recognises the central role of culture in their work. Furthermore, some cultural appropriate ways of engaging with the aboriginal youth can start by first developing an immediate and personal connection between the youth and the therapist by discussing genealogy. This is because Aboriginal people have strong connection to their ancestry, and by the therapist disclosing their own family background, a linking in established. Furthermore, due to lack of cultural understanding, many mishaps and misrepresentations occur such as overdiagnois and unerdoagnosis. Indigenous children should be assessed within their community, in a way that respects their hierarchies of decision-making. This mesa the decision takes time to reach and is often consumed by certain people in the community who hold the power (Bessant & Watkinson, 2000). An approach that has applied some of these principals is