Should racism be called a mental illness? Blogger: Being Sane Takes Too Much Work

Advocates say psychological treatment could prevent some people from committing violent acts.  But opponents sat it would open the way for violent racists to plead insanity to avoid punishment for their crimes.  The American Psychiatric Association does not list it in their Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders.  Most psychiatrists believe that racism is a cultural and social problem, not a matter of individual pathology.  Racism was considered to be put in the manual of mental disorders but it was determined there was not sufficient scientific research on the issue to meet the strict criteria.  Even though some racists may have some psychological illnesses, racism is too broad a phenomenon to label as a single mental illness.         ABC     Michel Martin