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Culturally Relevant Diagnosis and Assessment of Mental Illness

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Handbook of Mental Health in African American Youth

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Child and Family Studies ((SSCFS))

Abstract

Psychological assessment is an important aspect in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions. There is a long-standing history of over- and under-diagnosis of various psychological disorders in African Americans. As a result, it is imperative that clinicians are cognizant of the impact of race and culture on data and results of psychological assessments. To be ethical clinicians who conduct assessments with African American youth, culture must be considered as a factor in the diagnostic process. Clinicians should consider such factors as social environment, social stressors, and culturally relevant social supports in the assessment of African American youth. Therapeutic assessment (TA) is a method of assessment that is collaborative, guided by client’s questions or interests, and uses psychological assessment as the centerpiece of a short-term intervention. Given the importance of the therapeutic relationship, especially with African American clients, TA may be one way to reduce biases in assessment and improve the diagnostic process. This chapter presents an overview of evidence-based assessment (EBA) practices and the current status of EBA with African American youth. Finally, recommendations to enhance clinical practice are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Sciences, University of Houston-Downtown, 1 Main Street, Suite N-1009, Houston, TX, 70002, USA

    Erlanger A. Turner

  2. Independent Practice, Richmond, VA, USA

    Catherine J. Mills

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  1. Erlanger A. Turner
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  2. Catherine J. Mills
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Correspondence to Erlanger A. Turner .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Georgetown University Medical Cente, Department of Psychiatry, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Alfiee M. Breland-Noble

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University School, RICHMOND, Virginia, USA

    Cheryl S. Al-Mateen

  3. Medical College of Georgia, Augusta Univ, Dept of Psychiatry & Health Behavior, Augusta, GA, Georgia, USA

    Nirbhay N. Singh

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Turner, E.A., Mills, C.J. (2016). Culturally Relevant Diagnosis and Assessment of Mental Illness. In: Breland-Noble, A., Al-Mateen, C., Singh, N. (eds) Handbook of Mental Health in African American Youth. Springer Series on Child and Family Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25501-9_2

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