Addressing Structural Racism in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Psychotherapy

The increase in mental health issues among children and adolescents has been declared a health crisis in the United States, and recent increases in key measures (e.g., self-harm and suicidal behaviors) have been found to disproportionately impact youth from minority backgrounds. Access to mental health treatment for youth is limited, but for minority youth, access to culturally sensitive care is even more limited. This article discusses the ways in which misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis of mental health conditions can occur in minority youth and provides key points for clinicians to consider while working with minority youth to improve mental health outcomes.