• Home
  • Individual Counseling
    • Anxiety Therapy NYC
    • Depression Treatment NYC
    • Job and Career Support in NYC
    • Substance Use Disorder Counseling NYC
  • Couples & Parents
    • Marriage Counseling and Couples Counseling NYC
    • Parenting Counseling NYC
  • Blog
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • FAQs
  • About
    • Meet Diane Spear
    • Manhattan, NYC Office Location
  • Contact

Diane Spear

licensed clinical social worker. Union Square & Greenwich Village, NYC therapist. 212.353.0296

Racial Bias in Healthcare: What It Is & How it Undermines Your Mental Health

https://www.dianespeartherapy.com/If you’re unsure about a product, at least you can read the label before you buy it. However, there are times when certain ingredients are invisible. They play a major role but you may not even know they are present. Case in point: racial bias in healthcare.

The world of medical professionals strives to give equal care — in theory. Regardless, implicit or unconscious biases exist. They are rarely obvious and that makes them even more dangerous. Therefore, the first steps toward making mental health care more equal involve learning how to recognize racial bias in its many forms.

What is Racial Bias in Healthcare?

Doctors and other practitioners often assign a certain group of qualities to a particular group of people. For People of Color (POC), this can result in the resurfacing of racial stereotypes. This frequently decreases the quality of the health care being provided.

What adds to the danger of racial bias is that generally speaking, it is an “unconscious” act. Most people are legitimately unaware of what they are doing. When the bias is pointed out, it can result in defensiveness and conflict. Widespread racial reckoning in the U.S. has shone a light on this issue. But this cannot undo centuries of POC having here health undermined.

How Racial Bias in Healthcare Undermines Your Health

A 2015 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) identified several ways racial bias can have a negative impact on POC in the U.S. Here are just three examples:

Higher Blood Pressure

While 30.2 percent of white males and 28 percent of white females experienced high blood pressure, the numbers were substantially higher for their Blacks counterparts. Black men: 42.4 percent. Black women: 44 percent.

A Decrease in Life Expectancy

On average, whites are expected to live about four years longer than Blacks.

Increase in Mental Health Issues

Racism is associated with elevated stress levels. This, in turn, can contribute to higher rates of anxiety and depression. A 2015 meta-analysis found racism to have double the negative impact on mental health as it does on physical health.

In a less measurable, obvious way, racial bias can alter lives. POC report getting less time with medical health practitioners and having their symptoms downplayed. Also, children of color have been found to be very susceptible to just as affected by witnessing racism as in enduring it themselves.

How to Protect Your Mental Health From Racial Bias in Healthcare

Steps have been taken. Progress has been made. But a system as entrenched as healthcare will change slowly. The presence of far more non-white practitioners is a positive development. But this alone will not challenge structural issues. Such change can occur as the general public becomes more aware of this deeply seated issue. As a patient yourself, you can help in a few ways.

Network With Other POC

There’s nothing like word-of-mouth. Whether it’s online or in-person, make this a common topic of discussion. Normalize asking for references to racially sensitive therapists. A therapist does not have to be a person of color to be racially sensitive. One of the best compliments I’ve received was from a patient of color who said, “I didn’t think a white lady would be able to understand and help me, but you get me and have changed my life.”

Report Instances of Racial Bias

Conscious or unconscious, problems must be addressed. Depending on the circumstance, you may talk to the counselor directly. Other options include supervisors or professional associations charged with monitoring the ethics of their field.

Serve as a Health Advocate

Let friends and family know that you are there for them. Some people are nervous they won’t be believed if they point out racism. Be the friend who will listen and validate.

———-

Finally, I’d love to help you on this journey. Please read more about anxiety treatment. Let’s connect today to schedule a confidential consultation.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

March 16, 2021 Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Blog Posts

  • What’s the Role of Worry and Anxiety in Your Life?

  • What Is Trauma Dumping and Is It Harmful?

  • What You Need to Know & Understand About GAD

  • How Your Overworking Is Linked to Your Anxiety

  • The Physical Impact of Trauma: What to Recognize & How to Respond

  • PTSD Takes a Physical Toll: What You Need to Know

  • Suffering from Natural Disaster PTSD: What You Can Do to Cope

  • What You Need to Know About Your Period & Your PTSD Symptoms

  • 6 Ways Exercise Helps When Anxiety Has You Wired & Wound Up

  • NIGHTBIRDE

  • Lots of UnVaxxed Loved Ones? How to Graciously Get Out of Gatherings

  • What You Don’t Know Is More Important Than What You Know

  • How You Can Cultivate Resilience in the Age of COVID

  • COVID Constraints All Over Again? How to Deal with Your Dread & Worry

  • Keeping Calm at College: Everyday Ways to Cope with Anxiety

  • Generational Trauma: How to Recognize It and Overcome It

  • Fear and Forgetfulness: Are Your Anxiety and Working Memory Linked?

  • Too Anxious to Sleep? What You Can Do to Rest Well

  • On-Screen Trauma: What You Shouldn’t Believe About Media Depictions

  • Zoom Anxiety: How to Cope When You Dread the Next Video Chat

  • Try These 4 Positive Mental Practices to Cope as COVID-19 Continues

  • Racial Bias in Healthcare: What It Is & How it Undermines Your Mental Health

  • Are You Traumatized By Political Unrest? How to Know and How to Cope

  • Does Everyone Have Anxiety? When Is It a Mental Health Concern?

  • Why Catching Z’s is Important for Improving Your Mood

  • Why Your Anxiety Flares at Night & What to Do About It

  • Uncertainty Doesn’t Have to Make You Unhappy: 7 Ways You Can Still Live Well

  • Sexual Assault Survivors, Christine Blasey Ford, and Brett Kavanaugh

  • Moving Past Terror!

  • Suffering from Post-Election Blues? 10 Tips to Overcome It!

  • Trauma Treatment NYC

  • 8 Symptoms of Anxiety. Treatment Can Help!

  • Natural Networking

  • Don’t Push the Panic Button!

Blog Categories

  • Marriage & Couples Counseling
  • Parenting
  • Anxiety & Trauma
  • Depression
  • Job & Career Support
  • Substance Use Disorder
  • General

Appointment Request Form

*Not for emergencies

    Location

    Located at the intersection of the Union Square, East Village, West Village, and Greenwich Village neighborhoods in Manhattan. Serving residents of all five boroughs of NYC and the tri-state area, and offering phone and online therapy nationally and internationally.

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Good Faith Estimate

    Contact

    Diane Spear, LCSW-R
    26 W. 9th Street, Suite 9E
    New York, NY 10011
    Phone: 212.353.0296

    Copyright © 2023 · Jane Theme By, Pretty Darn Cute Design

     

    Loading Comments...