Race and Identity

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)

Post traumatic stress disorder is a natural response to a traumatic event. In the case of racial trauma, PTSD can occur after an individual person faces harassment or discrimination, or it can occur by witnessing it.

CHRONIC STRESS

Racial trauma leads to a more stressed, and subsequently less mentally healthy, life. Chronic stress is unhealthy for all people, but when you combine it with populations that are historically underserved medically, the risk for long term physical health problems rise.

DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

Black adults are more likely than White adults to exhibit symptoms of depression.6 Additionally, childhood trauma can lead to more depression as an adult,7and racial discrimination has been proven to lead to poorer mental health.

Anxiety leads to poor cognition,9 which can make all of life more difficult to cope with, even the the more pleasant aspects.

As you might suspect, based on how seriously and intensely racial trauma can manifest, racial trauma's impacts are far-reaching. Racial trauma leads to lower self-esteem and self-worth.

The trauma of witnessing police brutality leads people of color, particularly Black people, to fear police, which can in turn be dangerous if they find themselves in situations where they need to rely on police assistance. Racial trauma can cause severe emotional problems, such as dissociative symptoms.

Overall, racial trauma can impact every facet of life, reducing one's quality of living significantly.

If you are a person of color or someone who has been discriminated against because or your ethnic or racial background, it's possible that you have dealt with or are dealing with racial trauma. While these emotions can be difficult to process, there are healthy ways in which you can cope with them so that you can continue living life to the fullest.

If you find that you unable to cope on your own or with the help of friends and family and mental health professional can help equip you with the coping skills you'll to begin healing.