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Op-ed: Race-based traumatic stress is a mental health concern among Black population

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Stress can lead to medical and mental health conditions and concerns. [Image via Kaiser Permanente]
By Terry Kanakri

For many people within the Black community, racial trauma – or race-based traumatic stress (RBTS) – is a mental health condition that can have significant health consequences if left untreated. RBTS refers to the mental and emotional injury an individual may develop after having experienced racially charged discrimination and/or harassment.

With July recognized as Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Kaiser Permanente is raising awareness about mental health issues facing underrepresented groups, including the Black community, and the importance of seeking timely treatment when needed.

“The tragic death of George Floyd ignited a global movement against racial injustice, shedding light on the deep-seated systemic racism faced by the Black community,” said Chidi Njoku, director of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, Kaiser Permanente South Bay. “Beyond the immediate tragedy, this incident also exposed the pervasive and lasting impact of racial-based traumatic stress on the mental, emotional and physical well-being of individuals in the Black community. The events that followed since have sparked a unique moment in history, a time where the traumas within our communities are being acknowledged like never before.”

To understand the impact of racial-based traumatic stress, we must acknowledge the historical roots of racism and its ongoing effects, Njoku said. Centuries of slavery, discrimination, segregation and systemic oppression have shaped the experiences of individuals within the Black community, resulting in a persistent trauma that extends across generations. The post-George Floyd era serves as a reminder that the fight against racial injustice is ongoing.

Racial-based traumatic stress inflicts significant psychological and emotional harm on many within the Black community. Constant exposure to racial discrimination, profiling and police brutality creates a chronic state of vigilance and hypervigilance, according to Njoku. This prolonged stress can lead to anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health challenges. The burden of constantly navigating racially charged environments can take a severe toll on the overall well-being of individuals and communities.

The impact of racial trauma extends beyond mental and emotional health. Research demonstrates a correlation between experiences of racial discrimination and various physical health problems, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and overall diminished physical health. The constant strain on the mind and body resulting from racial-based traumatic stress contributes to health disparities and reduced quality of life within the Black community.

According to PEW Charitable Trusts, racism is a contributor to a public health crisis. It noted Black women are up to four times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications than White women. Black men are more than twice as likely to be killed by police as white men. The average life expectancy of Black Americans is four years lower than the rest of the U.S. population.

Recognizing the impact of racial-based traumatic stress is a necessity, Njoku said. The path to healing begins with acknowledging the existence of racial trauma and providing safe spaces for individuals to share their experiences. Culturally sensitive mental health services tailored to address racial trauma are crucial for promoting healing and resilience. Additionally, implementing systemic changes such as addressing institutional racism and promoting inclusivity can help prevent future racial trauma.

“For many, acts of racism and/or microaggressions are an unfortunate part of our reality,” Njoku noted. “If you have experienced the previously mentioned symptoms in a way that feels unmanageable, you’re more than likely suffering from a race-based traumatic stress injury.”

It’s important to seek help when facing mental health challenges – including those caused by racial trauma, Njoku said. If left untreated, these symptoms can worsen and cause severe problems to your overall health, Njoku stressed. Lack of trust or belief in mental health has historically been a barrier to people in the Black community. In response to this reality there has been significant work to increase access to providers that represent that community and raise cultural sensitivity of providers that are not of the Black community so as to create more inclusive spaces for those in need of treatment.

“A person with good self-care routines that seeks a balance between mental, physical, social and spiritual spheres in their life is doing well for themselves,” Njoku explained. “Neglecting or ignoring these areas will often create a domino effect in other spheres and will likely have a negative effect on your overall mental and physical health.”

Knowing when to seek help

Njoku encourages members of the Black community to seek help if they’re experiencing any of the Race-Based Trauma symptoms at a level that’s affecting their ability to be effective in their life. These include work or school performance not going well. When it comes to mental health, individuals should prioritize themselves and not listen to the stigmas or any other detractors that would discourage them from getting needed support.

“If you’re too anxious or depressed to advocate for yourself, it’s okay to lean on someone you trust for support to get the help you need,” Njoku noted. “Remember: As scary as it may feel, one of the most courageous things you can do is take the time to invest in yourself by seeking help.”

About the author: Terry Kanakri is a Senior Media Relations Specialist for Kaiser Permanente.

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Filed Under: Opinion

50 comments for "Op-ed: Race-based traumatic stress is a mental health concern among Black population"

    • It’s not just numbers the type and frequency of violent crimes is staggering ie; Irean Franco LA 1989, Ee Lee Washington Park Milwaukee 2020. Just these two examples are unparalleled.

        • Two extreme examples that are unparalleled. To list a third of a decade would be impossible. S A

          • LOLOL…”It’s happening all the time! Just look at these examples!”

            Uh, if it’s happening all the time why did you only give two examples?

            “Because they aren’t examples of what I claimed is happening all the time, they are one of a kind!”

            Frank, seriously, dial back the hysterics and try to be coherent. I still won’t agree with you, but at least it will be harder to make fun of you.

        • You’re missing the point entirely. And you’re gonna make fun of me. Show me a similar crime since 1990. Or shut up.

          • A similar crime perpetrated against an innocent black woman in modern times here in this country.

          • You are the one that provided it as an example of how “violent crime is so frequent.” Why should I be the one to find a similar crime. I’m the one who asked how a one off is a good example for this rising frequency that you are going on about.

          • You should pick a screen name and stick to it. The things you say would develop credibility in that screen name pretty quickly.

          • Indeed, Lancaster has “its share” just like everywhere else. Its share is somewhere around 500 violent crimes per 100,000 population, just like everywhere else. That means that out of a hundred thousand people NINETY-NINE THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED of them will not encounter violent crime this year. Back when crime rates were actually considered to be high, in the early 1990s, they were over 700…meaning that in those ‘harrowing times’ only NINETY-NINE THOUSAND, TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY out of 100,000 would not encounter violent crime.

            The real facts and numbers, unlike the scare mongering nonsense, indicate that the vast vast majority of people will live their entire lives without having any encounter with violent crime. I say facts AND numbers because those numbers don’t differentiate who is encountering violent crime, and the FACT is that the majority of violent crime is criminal on criminal violence. Active criminal enterprises have no access to ‘normal’ security, so they provide their own security, and the means of that security is violence. Not every violent crime is a ‘drug deal gone bad’ or a ‘turf war’ between rival criminal enterprises literally ‘fighting for clientele,’ but plenty of them are.

            So out of 100,000 people who are NOT involved with criminal enterprises something like NINETY-NINE THOUSAND, EIGHT HUNDRED will not be encountering violent crime. That’s why Frank searching the archives to come up with two scary example anecdotes in half a century is so ridiculous.

          • one single example of misfortune should not necessitate the -instantiation- of pervasive policing or pervasive surveillance. you haven’t proposed a solution. humans are -flawed- and sometimes evil. no amount of policing changes that. it never will

          • Frank M,
            No need to debunk ‘everyone is safe.’ No one said that everyone is safe. You can dig out all two hundred anecdotes. That does not change the FACT that for your two hundred there will be NINETY NINE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED anecdotes that say “was not an innocent victim of violent crime.” That fact is what makes you just the foolish victim of scare mongers who profit off of your fears.

            Or are you intentionally scare mongering because it is actually you that profits off of people’s fears?

          • Frank, there’s this basic skill called COUNTING. If you have kids in grade school you can ask them about it.

            There are people who count crimes. They are called the FBI. There are people who count people. They are called the census bureau. Once you have a number of crimes and a number of people you can divide to get a crime RATE. You can ask your kids about division too if it does not sound familiar.

            They don’t have to actually do the division for you. The FBI does that too. Crime rates and statistics are maintained with free public access on the FBI’s website. So even if you are too blinded by hating me to accept the facts I presented, you could just get them from the FBI, like I do.

          • Frank, get someone that likes you to explain this to you. I would do it, but I’d be mean about it.

          • “…taking single one off events and hyperbolizing their dominance. Ludicrous. Laughable”

          • LOL…sure Frank. The fact that you don’t understand a pretty simple statement doesn’t make that statement inaccurate, but you carry on with looking silly here. Have fun.

          • Let’s try making this more directly relevant to you Frank, and see if you can follow. Statistically, out of every hundred thousand people, there will be 2,500 that aren’t smart enough to get along unassisted. Most of those will need just some minor supervision and guidance. A smaller number will need more than that. But even if one of them is a one of a kind, most horribly disadvantaged individual ever who cannot even be taught to operate a spoon, that still doesn’t change the fact that there is only 2,500 of them per hundred thousand.

      • Both of these crimes are real, do your research both were truly innocent victims no back story committed by multiple assailants. There have been many like them since but these two have an extremely long time of torture and brutality. Names and dates were mentioned. Please show an equal since 1990. Lack verity is your claim it didn’t happen and doesn’t happen.

    • Tell Rhonda Santis. S/he thinks slavery in the old south had benefits and dental. It was a job training programs for lucky slaves. It’s amazing how useful learning to pick cotton is.

      The slaves should have paid the plantation owners for the excellent training kinda like Trump “university”.

      What do you think about that Bob? You know everything.

      • Well we know you don’t know anything William. Your just another parrot attached to a sheep. Keep talking , we enjoy it.

      • William you don’t no a darn thing about me.

        You surely are a victim of your own assumptions

  4. Is this real or perceived? Because much of the racism they think is happening to them is made up in their heads or is a result of people reacting to their behavior.

    Everyone faces trials and tribulations, hardships throughout life. Yet, it is mostly one group who constantly uses race to make themselves a victim; it is used to exert control to get their way.

    I witnessed this daily when working in retail. Others could be told no and they’d accept it but not blacks—staff was all accused of being racist.

    They’ve committed so much crime and fraud—like AVC financial aide fraud, welfare fraud, etc. Look at all the retail theft! Floyd and BLM have goaded people into feeling guilty so now they have free rein. And the biggest fleecing is yet to come if reparations goes through.

    They’re just laughing and enjoying it all!

    • Too the point, absolute nonsense. Where’s the victimization of an elderly business owner stepping out to check on his property and being attacked by a black mob.

  5. Yeah…but don’t worry about the mental health issues the rest of us from constantly having to deal with crime though!

    • Poor you, Mike R.

      A couple hundred years of slavery followed by Jim Crow laws, segregation, voter suppression, lynchings, and up to today with police shooting unarmed Black men running away in the back or a Black woman asleep in her bed has an effect on people. Can you get that?

      But, we should be concerned about your widdle feelings. How you and your ancestors must have suffered. I can’t imagine.

      • William , everyone suffers and all races have suffered. What is your point ? Are we trying to figure out who gets the big suffer prize or who is owed the most? And none of your ranting is about how far we have come as a country. Try that sometime instead of inciting for the sake of inciting.

      • Here William, you pinpointed a couple of incidents regarding law enforcement, citizens of any race aren’t responsible for what may be a bad cops action. Irean Franco she’s was a victim too. LA 1989.

  6. This race-based traumatic stress did not exist 20 years ago. Groups created it and then used it to their advantage. It’s a crutch.

  7. Reparations for White crime victims NOW.

    What about White “trauma” from the pervasive crimes, violence and savagery perpetrated everyday by Blacks. Only 12.5% of the population, but responsible for 90% of the crime.

    • When I was a minor, I was jumped by two black women and a black girl. When my family moved to public housing in Long Beach, my 6 year old son was told by a group of black children that he couldn’t play there because he wasn’t black. So many violent crimes have been committed against white, Hispanic, and Asian people at the hands of the black community- blacks don’t fear violence, they fear accountability and criticism for their wayward behaviors.

    • “…responsible for 90% of the crime…”

      a huge misrepresentation.

      compliance and conviction and penalty/imprisonment depend on where you live and who your cops are and the statutory framework in place

      recent historical examples:

      systematic bias in enforcement (stop & frisk, etc)
      imbalance in drug penalties (cheap crack cocaine v. expensive powder cocaine)
      impoverished communities exhibiting familial/generational poverty

      ALSO. crime levels today are much lower than most years you include in the 90% statistic you cite.

      but, please, continue your BS misrepresentations of the world… it’s typical, and expected from bigots

      • It’s not a misrepresentation when the latest FBI (2019) crime statistics prove the 13/90 ratio is the true reflection of violent crime carried out by black persons. It’s plain as day.

      • Irean Franco murder 1989 and current crime and racial violence in Harbor Gateway debunk your systemic victimization complex. And the reasons you stated still doesn’t explain the experiences miss Renee suffered or make her a bigot or the exceptionally high crime numbers.

  8. I can certainly believe it. But forced integration hasn’t been no cabaret for the rest of us either!