How to Incorporate Anti-Racism Into Psychiatric Practice

The murder of George Floyd by a police officer one year ago today “forced overdue conversations about the structural racism in the very roots of our nation. It also caused many to examine what was once considered business as usual,” APA wrote in astatement released today. “The American Psychiatric Association and psychiatry were forced toconfront our own past [as well as] toexamine how racism had entwined itself into our current operations and how racism was impacting our patients on a daily basis. ”“We recommit as an organization and a field to staying vigilant to injustices that impact our patients and taking action to achieve mental health equity for all,” the statement concluded.What actions can individual psychiatrists take to achieve mental health equity for all?In anarticle appearing in the June issue ofPsychiatric News, psychiatrists shared suggestions on how to adopt anti-racist practices within and outside of clinical practice. “To eradicate racism, in all its forms, everyone must embrace the concept of anti-racism,” said Rahn Bailey, M.D., APA’s minority/underrepresented trustee and chief medical officer of the Kedren Community Health Systems in Los Angeles. “Anti-racism is proactive and assertive,” he said. “ It is taking an active stance against racism in every facet of your life and career.”Acknowledge that racism exists everywhere:The first step to centering racial equity is starting the process of self-reflection and self-education, L...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research