Commentary: The Trauma of Insidious Racism

Race-based traumatic stress assessments are difficult because of the insidious nature of racism, the lack of scientific research, and the disregard of the nondominant cultural experience. Although there is a large body of scientific literature about the harmful psychological effects of racism, most of that literature is not directly applicable to individual assessment. Carter and Forsyth begin to correct that deficiency. Implicit in their attempt is the beginnings of defining a race-based traumatic stress syndrome. At present, the psychiatric expert can be useful to the court through a psychological description of the evaluee within a racial-cultural context.