This can be particularly true among many of the most marginalized groups, including Indigenous communities.
In November 2020, the American Medical Association formally recognized racism as a public health threat.
Indigenous Communities Face Prevalent Racism
Racism directed toward Indigenous people is a common problem throughout the world.
Justin Lewis / Getty Images
In the United States, research suggests that both discrimination and harassment are widely experienced among Native Americans.
Racism can come in a variety of forms including racial slurs, harassment, exclusion, andmicroaggressions.
The mental health effects of past traumas are also something that these communities continue to grapple with.
Racist policies in the United States subjected Native Americans and Alaskan Natives to significant psychological trauma.
Such policies were aimed at stripping people of their cultural identity and heritage.
They were unable to speak their own languages and were barred from participating in their spiritual and cultural traditions.
Such practices created massivecollectiveand intergenerational trauma, damaging families, their children, and entire communities.
It is important to recognize that racism is not something confined to the past.
The cumulative effects of these experiences can take a tremendous toll on physical, emotional, and psychological well-being.
Such issues are not confined to the U.S., however.
Indigenous people live in counties all over the world and often experience various forms and degrees of racism.
Those who experienced the most racism also reported the highest levels of psychological distress.
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What are some explanations for the increased suicide risk faced by Indigenous peoples?
Historical trauma refers to the cumulative psychological effects that affect people across generations due to a significant collective trauma.
Violence
Statistics also suggest that Indigenous communities face higher rates of domestic violence.
Native American and Alaskan Native women experience among the highest races of intimate partner violence and sexual assault.
Indigenous communities also often lack access to health services.
Healthcare accessibility is often impacted by policies that neglect the needs of Indigenous communities.
While tribal reserves may provide mental health services, many Indigenous people live outside of these areas.
People are also affected by Western views of mental well-being that neglect Indigenous views of mental health and trauma.
Duran suggests that mental health practitioners need to provide interventions that address these holistic connections.
Indigenous patients also report that health care workers are often resistant to even hearing about cultural health practices.
There are a number of other factors that can be helpful in mitigating the mental health impacts of racism.
Indigenous worldviews can serve as a protective force.
The widespread prevalence of continued racism demonstrates that such issues need further intervention that seeks to end discrimination.
However, research suggests that racism and its effects are rarely discussed by mental health professionals during treatment.
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In plain sight: addressing indigenous-specific racism and discrimination in B.C.
