In her new book Systemic: How Racism Is Making Us Ill, Layal Liverpool argues that racial biases in science and medicine are bad for people's health. She describes to David Robson all the discrepancies in healthcare that she found.
Layal Liverpool first noticed little areas of color loss on her face and arms while she was a teenager living in the Netherlands. Antibiotics and antifungal drugs were provided to her, but they had little effect. She believed it to be a very uncommon and incurable illness.
She didn't learn that eczema was the true culprit until she met a specialist in the UK who also happened to have darker skin. He proposed that the previous physicians she had seen, the most of whom were White, had misdiagnosed her because they were unaware of how the illness may manifest on skin with dark tones.
Liverpool is a scientific journalist currently, having worked as a biomedical researcher before. Her first book, Systemic: How Racism Is Making Us Ill, explores the health disparity that exists between members of marginalized ethnic groups and White people, as well as potential solutions. She discussed her findings with fellow scientific journalist David Robson.
What gave you the idea to write this book?
Black women like myself are four times more likely than white women to die during pregnancy and delivery in the UK, where I just became a mother. I felt forced to dig into it as a scientific writer with a background in medical research since there are comparable figures in many other countries.
Even though I considered myself to be pretty knowledgeable about this subject, what I learned really startled me. I discovered that, apart from pregnancy, marginalized racial and ethnic groups have much lower health outcomes in a variety of domains, such as infectious illnesses, heart disease, cancer, and mental health issues. Racism is, in my opinion, a public health emergency. It wastes time, money, and resources, which not only makes our healthcare systems inefficient but also unjust.
According to studies you reference, medical students often hold these completely untrue assumptions about the biological distinctions between individuals of various races.
Which misunderstandings are some instances of?
I examine the notion that black people feel pain differently than white people because black people's skin is thicker or their nerve endings are less sensitive in the beginning of the book. Approximately 50% of US medical students had some of these incorrect beliefs.
That's just one instance; in other contexts, the myths have even been used to inform medical practice. For example, there used to be rules to modify kidney test findings according to the race of the patient, based on the notion that the kidneys of black people function differently from those of white people. This seems to have originated from a single tiny study, which was then referenced in other research, formed the basis of recommendations, and has been linked to adverse health outcomes.
After I contacted Nice, the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and supplied a paper demonstrating these repercussions, they ultimately modified their advice to exclude usage of race. I initially reported on this for [the scientific magazine] New Scientist. The worldwide guidelines are also undergoing modifications at this time.
Lung function testing are another area where racial medicine is evident. Its origins may be attributed to Samuel Cartwright, a US physician and slaveholder who believed that black people's lungs were weaker and that, as a result, they profited from slavery. This made its way into practice, and by the time I wrote about it in 2021, it was still included in international standards that recommend accounting for racial differences in lung capacity measurements. However, I discovered this year that the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society had eliminated racial adjustment from their joint guidelines while I was editing the book's final draft. They made it clear that race is a social construct with no biological foundation. Although it would have been wonderful if this had occurred sooner, I'm simply glad that it is happening at all and that these conversations are taking place.
What impact does racism have on mental health care?
Numerous disparities exist that need more attention. For instance, it is more common for Black persons to be unjustly held for mental health treatment. Compared to white males, black men in the US are more likely to be slain by police during a mental health crisis. According to the study, this can be because people think black individuals are more dangerous or frightening.
Diagnoses may also be influenced by racism. Research indicates that whereas schizophrenia is often overdiagnosed among black individuals in the US and UK, depression is underdiagnosed and undertreated among marginalized communities. Therefore, it's problematic that certain prejudices and preconceptions may influence how practitioners see people of color and the problems that may be impacting them.
Ultimately, in several nations, individuals of color discover that mental health professionals fail to provide due consideration to their encounters with racism and its impact on their overall wellness. That could make individuals less inclined to speak to healthcare providers about their issues when they're in need of help and feel vulnerable.
Our physical and emotional well-being are related. What is the connection between racism and diseases like Alzheimer's and cardiovascular disease?
The leading cause of death worldwide, cardiovascular disease poses a serious threat to public health, and research indicates that racism may also be a factor. Because of the misconception that black people are more inclined to steal, you may endure daily hassles like being followed into a store, which might make you feel anxious and cause your heart rate to rise. Furthermore, living with racism on a daily basis for the whole of your life might have a chronic impact on your neurological and cardiovascular systems. For instance, hypertension, or high blood pressure, is more common among Black Americans and is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Dementia and age-related cognitive impairment may also be associated with long-term stress and trauma.
Is there any cause for hope?
I got to know a number of individuals who are concerned about these problems and trying to find solutions when I was writing the book. For instance, Five X More is a grassroots organization that advocates for black maternal health in the United Kingdom. According to a research they performed, 43% of black and black mixed women said they had encountered prejudice while receiving prenatal care. Additionally, they have developed guidelines on how pregnant Black individuals should stand up for themselves in the medical situation. Additionally, they have provided training for medical professionals who want to address this problem and guarantee that pregnant women of various backgrounds may feel at ease receiving treatment.
Many scientists are putting a lot of effort into eliminating bias from their medical studies. Additionally, physicians are starting to address the structural manifestations of racism as well as the racialized medical practices we first spoke about. Though it is wonderful that it is already occurring within some professions, I would want to see a more comprehensive reckoning across the medical community.
No comments:
Post a Comment