ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to identify specific aspects of human function likely to be affected by racism or prejudice and in some instances resulting in mental illness or a lowering of mental health chances or prevention of a recovery from such impairments. Derogatory attitude in an individual may exist in a setting devoid of politically based racism and may have nothing to do with race. The more widespread issue of prejudice is an individual attitude which may invoke race, but is as likely to be related to some other 'stigma'-generating marker. In normal practice it is unusual to find evidence of discrimination consequent on prejudice in open every-day therapeutic contact between workers/therapists and patients. Attempts were made to interview patients through relatives, neighbours and hospital personnel involved in their management, and to this end a semi-structured interview form was used which included data on mental, social, psychological and material factors.
