What all physicians need to know about race and racism in mental health care

03/03/21 • 29 min

Quick Takes: A podcast by physicians, for physicians

“Racism exists and it exists in the lives of our patients.” – Dr. Amy Gajaria

In episode 12 of Quick Takes Dr. Gratzer hosts Drs. Amy Gajaria and Saadia Sediqzadah in a compelling conversation on the importance of addressing race and racism in mental health care.

In this, our longest episode of Quick Takes to date (30 minutes), the conversation covers some necessary, some easy, and some possibly difficult things clinicians should consider as they factor race into patient care.

Understand that race is important to your patients, make it important to you as well.
Recognize that there is a need to formalize diversity in mentorship and in leadership.
Learn from our history to understand the hesitancy that black, indigenous and other people of colour have towards the medical system.
Practice talking about race outside the clinical setting but don’t judge yourself – you won’t be perfect.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Quick Takes is a production of the Center for Addiction and Mental Health. You can find links to the relevant content mentioned in the show and accessible transcripts of all the episodes we produce online at CAMH.ca.

Follow CAMH Education on X (formerly known as Twitter) @camhEdu

Follow and subscribe to Reading of the Week where, every week, Dr. David Gratzer reviews research papers from the world of psychiatry.

“Racism exists and it exists in the lives of our patients.” – Dr. Amy Gajaria

In episode 12 of Quick Takes Dr. Gratzer hosts Drs. Amy Gajaria and Saadia Sediqzadah in a compelling conversation on the importance of addressing race and racism in mental health care.

Understand that race is important to your patients, make it important to you as well.
Recognize that there is a need to formalize diversity in mentorship and in leadership.
Learn from our history to understand the hesitancy that black, indigenous and other people of colour have towards the medical system.
Practice talking about race outside the clinical setting but don’t judge yourself – you won’t be perfect.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Follow CAMH Education on X (formerly known as Twitter) @camhEdu

Follow and subscribe to Reading of the Week where, every week, Dr. David Gratzer reviews research papers from the world of psychiatry.

Previous Episode

What all physicians need to know about mental health apps

Which apps should you recommend to your patients?

On this episode of Quick Takes Dr. Gratzer sits down with returning guest and digital psychiatry expert, Dr. John Torous of Harvard University.

They discuss the use of mobile apps to aid in diagnosis and treatment as well as issues around digital privacy, the potential of chatbots, and how AI may change the field. But at the heart of this episode, they try to determine just what makes a good app. What do physicians need to know before using an app in their clinical work?

During Drs. Gratzer and Torous’ conversation we learn more about:

what makes a good app and how mobile apps can be integrated into mental health treatment
how apps may pose a risk to data privacy and security
the potential of chatbots and AI
and the challenges of sustaining patient engagement with apps.

To hear more of what Dr. Torous has to say on the topic of digital mental health, listen to Quick Takes episode 3 What all physicians need to know about digital psychiatry.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Follow CAMH Education on X (formerly known as Twitter) @camhEdu

Follow and subscribe to Reading of the Week where, every week, Dr. David Gratzer reviews research papers from the world of psychiatry.

Next Episode

What all physicians need to know about Ramadan and its clinical implications

As Ramadan begins, what should you know as you care for your patients with mental health problems?

In episode 13 of Quick Takes Dr. Gratzer hosts Drs. Juveria Zaheer and Zainab Furqan in an insightful conversation on impact of Ramadan on our patients’ care.

Drawing on their clinical experience and the literature, Drs. Zaheer and Furqan provide insights and suggestions for treating Muslim patients. What mental disorders may be particularly affected by Ramadan? How should medication regiments change in light of fasting? How might you start a discussion with one of your patients? With over 1.7 billion Muslims in the world – and about 80% of North American Muslims actively fasting – they discuss the conversations that you may have with your patients; their comments are enlivened with patient stories. And, yes, they share a few warm, personal memories.

During this insightful conversation the guest physicians discuss the following:

The surprising lack of resources they found when researching this topic for their Lancet paper
How to foster culturally safe care by acknowledging Ramadan and opening up the conversation with your patients whose treatment may be impacted by timing or food
Some possible talking points to go over with your patients who want to fully participate in this celebration: “Do you generally fast? Were you planning to fast this year? What does fasting mean for you?” and “I know Ramadan is coming up. What are your thoughts on the medications you're taking?”
The obvious mental health and addiction issues impacted by fasting and changing sleep cycles as well as some you may not initially consider.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Follow CAMH Education on X (formerly known as Twitter) @camhEdu

Follow and subscribe to Reading of the Week where, every week, Dr. David Gratzer reviews research papers from the world of psychiatry.