Overpolicing people with serious mental health conditions: Considering racialized trauma for trauma-informed psychiatric rehabilitation services.

Abstract

Objective: We call for the psychiatric rehabilitation field to assess overpolicing as racialized trauma via a targeted universal trauma screening to provide trauma-informed rehabilitation services. Methods: We examine the overpolicing of low-level, nonviolent activities and offenses through frequent stops, tickets, and arrests of disproportionately those who have mental health conditions and are Black, Indigenous, and people of color. These police interactions can produce traumatic responses and exacerbate symptoms. Assessing and responding to overpolicing is vital for psychiatric rehabilitation to provide trauma-informed services. Results: We present preliminary practice data using an expanded trauma exposure form with racialized trauma, such as police harassment and brutality, that is absent from validated screenings. From this expanded screening, the majority of participants reported undisclosed racialized trauma. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: We recommend the field devote practice and research to racialized trauma and policing and the lasting effects to support trauma-informed services. Impact and ImplicationsThis report identifies overpolicing as a racialized trauma exposure overlooked in behavioral health for people with serious mental health conditions. We offer recommendations for research to assess the problem of overpolicing and the development, validation, and use of universal trauma screening that includes overpolicing.

Introduction to the special section on racial disparities in psychiatric rehabilitation services.

“…The study stresses the importance of understanding the lived experiences of the population to develop user-informed services that should address systemic racism. Buchbinder et al (2023) identified overpolicing as racialized trauma, which is often overlooked in psychiatric rehabilitation services for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color with mental health conditions. They provide several recommendations to advance trauma-informed psychiatric rehabilitation practices and research for addressing racialized trauma exposures (including policing) among the population.…”