Indigenous Racism in Healthcare
What kind of racism involves stereotypes and bias from one person toward another?
Interpersonal racism
In some Indigenous Filipino groups, mental illness is sometimes viewed as what?
A spiritual punishment or imbalance.
What historical system removed Indigenous children from their families and caused lasting trauma?
The residential school system.
Western healthcare mainly focuses on what kind of model?
The biomedical model.
What kind of racism occurs when healthcare systems fail to include Indigenous practices and values?
Systemic racism.
What is the name of traditional Filipino healers who use herbs, prayer, and rituals?
Babaylan.
What is intergenerational trauma?
Trauma passed down through families from one generation to the next.
Indigenous health focuses on the balance between which four elements?
Physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
Why is cultural safety important in healthcare?
It ensures Indigenous patients receive respectful, unbiased, and effective care.
Inuit people often see mental health as a balance between what four things?
Mind, body, spirit, and community.
How did colonialism affect Indigenous languages and culture?
It caused loss of language, traditions, and cultural identity.
In Western psychiatry, treatment often centers on what?
Diagnosis, medication, and individual therapy.
Name one common stereotype Indigenous patients face in healthcare settings
Being labeled as “drug-seeking” or “non-compliant.”
What role do Elders and storytelling play in Inuit healing?
They guide, teach, and strengthen community connections and resilience.
In Elena’s case, how does colonialism show up in her mental health experience?
Through disconnection from her culture and mistrust of healthcare systems.
What is one key difference between Western and Indigenous views of wellness?
Western views focus on the individual; Indigenous views focus on community and connection
How can nurses help reduce racism in healthcare settings?
By practicing cultural humility, listening to patients’ experiences, and advocating for culturally safe care.
Why might Indigenous healing practices be dismissed by formal healthcare systems?
Because of colonial attitudes that devalue traditional knowledge.
What can nurses do to help break the cycle of colonial harm in healthcare?
Acknowledge history, promote cultural safety, and build trust through respectful, trauma-informed care.
As psychiatric nurses, how can we bridge Western and Indigenous approaches?
By integrating cultural practices, showing humility, and valuing both clinical and traditional knowledge.