HISTORY This Week A Century of Stigma for Black America and Mental Health
Jun 1, 2020
In this insightful discussion, King Davis, a former Virginia behavioral health commissioner and professor, explores the dark legacy of the 1840 census on Black mental health. He reveals how the census inaccurately linked freedom to insanity, which led to harmful stereotypes and practices. Davis highlights the role of pro-slavery leaders in manipulating data for their agenda and examines the long-term consequences of overdiagnosis and biased care in Black communities. His personal reflections underscore the emotional toll of historical injustices on families.
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Census Questions Fueled A Racist Myth
- The 1840 census added the first U.S. questions about mental health asking who was "insane and idiots."
- Those questions later fueled arguments that freedom caused Black people to go insane, shaping policy and prejudice.
From Immunity To The 'Exaggerated Risk' Claim
- Early belief held Africans were "immune" to mental illness because they supposedly lacked reason.
- After Nat Turner's revolt, that shifted to a new claim: freedom would drive Black people to lunacy.
A Sickbed Reading That Uncovered Errors
- Edward Jarvis, bedridden with a broken leg, read the census and found glaring errors and institutional reporting problems.
- He published findings that the 1840 mental-health data were unreliable and misleading.