Are More Black Women Being Misdiagnosed With Mental Illness Than Necessary? The Experts Weigh In [21ninety.com]

Ingrid Cockhren 11/29/2312:00 PM

By 21Ninety, Photo: joicekelly, 21Ninety, May 3, 2023

In the medical world, Black women often experience hidden racism. Because of unaddressed issues in the medical system, Black women may face implicit biases more frequently than other races. Medical experts are now beginning to weigh in on why this might be the case. According to the American Psychological Association, Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with mental health disorders than white women, and this disparity has been linked to various factors, including bias, poverty, trauma, and racism.

Many Black Women’s Symptoms Are Pathologized

To pathologize something or someone is to regard or treat someone as psychologically abnormal or unhealthy.

According to Dr. Patrice Le Goy, a Los-Angeles based International Psychologist and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, many Black women who go to mental health professionals for help receive responses that are pathologized.

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Robert OlcottMember

When I worked for the Census bureau supervising Re-enumeration in Grafton County and checking Domestic violence SHELTERS elsewhere, it was also about the time Robert Whitaker did his presentation concerning the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) at Dartmouth College. I'm not sure the Census bureau had all the necessary tools to access the 'appropriate categories' for many Black American Women--which may be due to ACEs I witnessed with my father's narcissism toward my mother....

11/29/232:34 PM

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Many Black Women’s Symptoms Are Pathologized

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