A guide to the forensic assessment of race-based traumatic stress reactions.

A large body of empirical evidence has accumulated over the past decade documenting the psychiatric and emotional consequences of racism and racial discrimination. Still, little has been written in the legal or psychiatric assessment literature that is focused on describing the direct and specific effects of racism and offering guidance to forensic psychiatrists in understanding, assessing, and treating the race-based stress reactions that may occur as a result of exposure to racial discrimination or harassment. This article uses the analysis of a case study to illustrate and extend previous work on the evaluation of racial discrimination by providing a guide to the forensic assessment of the psychiatric and emotional impact of race-based encounters--a guide that can be used both in preparing expert reports and in developing treatment approaches.