TANGLED ROOTS: RACISM'S COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP WITH MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

The question of whether racism should be classified as a mental disorder has sparked enduring debate among mental health professionals. Despite decades of discourse, no consensus has been reached, and the discussion remains vital within the field. The influential exchange between Alvin Poussaint, MD, and Jeffrey Schaler, Ph.D., in their article "Is Extreme Racism a Mental Illness?" (2000), has emerged as a prominent focal point in this ongoing dialogue. Nevertheless, a definitive resolution remains elusive, as both perspectives present equally unconvincing arguments. This impasse arises from a critical omission: the failure to define the essential criteria for categorizing a condition as a mental disorder. Without a clear elucidation of this foundational concept, determining whether racism should be designated as such remains an unresolved quandary. Thus, it is imperative that we turn to the tenets of scientific inquiry to provide a substantive framework for this discourse, as advocated by Bell (2004). The moment calls for what Kuhn (2012) terms a paradigm shift, necessitating a reevaluation of the fundamental assumptions guiding our understanding of mental disorders.