Family history of mental health disorders impacts utilization of mental health services among African-Americans, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. Alice P. Villatoro and Carol S. Aneshensel, PhD, from the University of California in Los Angeles examined the impact of families on mental health […]
Black or African American
The Relationship Between Racial Discrimination and Mental Health in African American and Afro-Caribbean Youth: Results from a National Study
The vast majority of African-American and Afro-Caribbean youth face racial discrimination, and these experiences are associated with an increased risk of mental health problems, according to a study to be presented Saturday, May 3, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The researchers analyzed data from the National Survey […]
The Effect of a “Maintain, Don’t Gain” Approach to Weight Management on Depression Among Black Women: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial
An intervention program aimed at helping obese women maintain their weight without adding pounds also significantly reduced depression in nearly half the participants, according to a new study. The study cites past research showing that women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression, and more than one in seven black women will […]
Disparities in Medicaid Spending on Children in Welfare System
A new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis examines racial and ethnic differences in Medicaid expenditures for children in the welfare system who use psychotropic drugs — medication for conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, that affect a child’s mental state. The study, “Racial/Ethnic Differences in Medicaid […]
Dear Dad: Letters From Same Gender Loving Sons
The documentary Dear Dad: Letters From Same Gender Loving Sons highlights the conversations between Black fathers and their gay sons. Chase Simmons, the filmmaker, was inspired to create it after seeing some of his friends struggle with their relationships with their fathers. He believes that the film can help reduce stigma experienced by Black gay men. In […]
What’s Wrong with the Poor? Psychiatry, Race, and the War on Poverty
In the 1960s, policymakers and mental health experts joined forces to participate in President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. In her insightful interdisciplinary history, physician and historian Mical Raz examines the interplay between psychiatric theory and social policy throughout that decade, ending with President Richard Nixon’s 1971 veto of a bill that would have provided […]