Pathophysiology and psychopathology of skin bleaching and implications of skin colour in Africa

Abstract

Psychiatrists in particular are interested in descriptive psychopathology, which has the aim of describing the symptoms and syndromes of mental illness. Hall opines that Negroids see black skin as a pathological phenomenon that needs purification to move up socially. Upward social movement can be achieved by marrying light-skinned partners or by skin bleaching. Bleaching agents contain active ingredients such as hydroquinone, mercury, or corticosteroids, which reduce or inhibit the synthesis of melanin. This existing body dimorphic disorder must concern all Afrocentric psychologists. Psychologists who engage with persons of African descent must address the skin colour issue to enable the therapeutic process.