Racism Within Mental Health

The mental health system is not immune to the racism embedded in broader societal structures. In fact, many practices and policies within mental healthcare perpetuate the very harm they claim to heal.

From its diagnostic frameworks to its treatment modalities, mental health has often centered white, Western, cisgender, and heteronormative norms. This has led to systemic issues such as:

• Overdiagnosis of psychotic disorders in Black and Indigenous people

• Underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis of mood disorders in communities of color

• Disproportionate use of restraints, hospitalization, and forced treatment

Research has shown that racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to be offered psychotherapy and more likely to be prescribed medication or criminalized for behavior stemming from distress. For example, a Black teenager exhibiting trauma symptoms might be labeled as defiant or conduct disordered, while a white peer might be diagnosed with C-PTSD and referred to therapy.

Language access, economic disparities, and lack of representation among providers further deepen mistrust and malpractice. Even within supposedly “inclusive” spaces, microaggressions, colorblindness, and cultural invalidation remain rampant.

Racism isn’t just interpersonal, it’s institutional. For mental health to be truly ethical, providers must move beyond diversity checklists and engage in sustained anti-racist practice: decolonizing their frameworks, advocating for community-based models, and restoring dignity to historically marginalized populations.

Healing cannot occur in a vacuum of neutrality. It demands justice.