Structural Racism and Psychiatry

Over the first weekend of May, I attended the annual American Psychiatric Association (APA) meeting, which was held virtually this year for the second year in a row due to the pandemic. The meeting’s theme was “Finding Equity Through Advances in Mind & Brain in Unsettled Times,” chosen by current APA President Jeffrey Geller MD. Dr. Geller also appointed a task force described here.

Many of the scientific sessions focused on equity and diversity in psychiatry and revealed how psychiatry and the APA, like the rest of the country, have had a long struggle with structural and systemic racism (for example, pathologizing traits of different cultures, races, and sexual orientations), and inequality as illustrated in this recent New York Times article.

The meeting was a reminder of how leaders in the field of psychiatry and forensic psychiatry can make an impact through our work and when applicable, in the media, to help foster equity in mental health care and in general. This pandemic hit people hard, but not everyone had equal access to treatment and safety. This highlighted a long-standing problem of inequities in health care and especially in mental health care.

In one of the plenary sessions, Dr. Anthony Fauci explained the effects of Covid-19 on the brain and nervous system. The meeting also addressed the psychology and history behind law enforcements’ targeting of people of color in the U.S. and the many, many tragic, untimely deaths as a result, such as the murder of George Floyd.

As a clinical and forensic psychiatrist, I am often confronted by racial inequities in society, particularly in mental health care, and am striving to overcome them through education and patient care. I believe it is also important to support Black-owned businesses, which have been particularly hard hit due to the pandemic. If you’re interested in learning more, I recently learned of this blog post and encourage you to check it out.

I am grateful to the APA for putting a strong emphasis on addressing structural racism. Making big changes takes time, but it starts with each and every one of us.