"The hospital gown offered no defense against the cold air or the searing pain radiating through her body. Each breath was a negotiation with a searing internal fire. Lying in that sterile bed, under harsh fluorescent lights, she was unquestionably at her most vulnerable, facing a landscape of agony she could not navigate alone. Her suffering was entirely dependent on the subjective assessment of the medical professionals who walked the polished floors."
"When the doctor entered, she looked to him for answers, for relief, for the simple reassurance that he saw her ordeal and would help. She asked if the intensity of her pain was normal. "Pain is never normal," he began, and for a moment, she felt a flicker of hope. But then he continued, his tone matter-of-fact, as if stating a simple, biological truth. "But you Black people can put up with it better.""
Cultural differences in expressing pain are often misread as exaggeration, causing clinicians to under-treat patients. Historical racist myths from colonial medicine that claim Black people feel less pain persist in modern healthcare and shape provider attitudes. Such stereotypes lead to dismissive language, depersonalization, and worse clinical outcomes for Black patients. Standardized pain assessment tools, anti-racism training, and increased diversity among medical staff can reduce bias and improve care. Personal accounts show how racist assumptions replace individualized clinical judgment and erode patient trust, making advocacy and systemic reform necessary to ensure equitable pain management.
Read at Psychology Today
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