May 31, 2022
Disparities remain in mental health status and care for racial
and ethnic minority youth, despite national attention to disparity
reduction. This paper offers a comprehensive picture of the status
of pediatric disparities, by addressing the major areas affecting
minority youth mental health, including: prevention of problems,
need for services, access to care, mental health treatment types
and treatment outcomes. It addresses relevant factors in the
family, community and socioeconomic
context, and describes various local and national programs that aim
to tackle the obstacles and fill
the gaps in high quality care for racial/ethnic minority youth. It
concludes by offering
recommendations for improvement which acknowledge the importance of
understanding
preferences and attitudes towards treatment, ensuring that
screening and diagnosis is appropriate to minority youth, and
ensuring that evidence-based programs are available at multiple
levels to best service children and succeed in addressing their
needs.