From Discrimination to Disease: The Role of Inflammation

Discrimination is an established social determinant of mental health that contributes to psychiatric illness disparities among marginalized populations. There is emerging research elucidating the biological mechanisms connecting discrimination to mental health outcomes, revealing inflammation as a key pathway. This column synthesizes evidence from existing literature on the links between discrimination and inflammation, and outlines both the opportunities and challenges in this field. The discussion highlights the necessity of a multifaceted approach to address discrimination, and thus, reduce inflammation at both individual and population levels.