The history of mental health treatment in the United States is complex, particularly in Black communities. Using historical records as well as interviews with patients, staff, and family members, award-winning journalist Antonia Hylton explores the troubling influence of racial bias in health care and the criminal justice system.
History Is Not the Past
Psychiatry was still an emerging field during the Civil Rights Movement, when Black patients were more likely to be unfairly labeled as dangerous and aggressive. The consequences continue to affect how people receive mental health care to this day. For example, Black men are more likely than other demographic groups to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, and are also prescribed higher doses of antipsychotics.
