This handbook brings together crucial information related to mental illness among black Americans by examining the impact of social structures and conditions on the mental health of blacks. ChoiceWhile it is generally assumed that poverty, unemployment, and discrimination have a serious impact on the psychological well-being and functioning of black Americans, very little research has been directed to understanding or documenting the black experience from the mental health standpoint. This multidisciplinary study develops a broad perspective on the subject, with implications for both clinical practice and sociological research. In addition to examining important mental health issues, the authors look at the ways in which specific social, structural, and cultural conditions and practices affect the lives of individual Black Americans and their families.The first two parts of the book present demographic profiles of the black community and epidemiological analyses of mental disorders. The psychological stressors arising from racism are next considered, together with the social structures and coping skills that have enabled blacks to maintain networks of support. Two chapters are devoted to homicide and family violence in the black community. The remaining chapters cover psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, legal and social policy issues, and factors in positive mental health. Incorporating the contributions of sociologists, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists as well as mental health administrators, this book provides new data and expert analyses that will be of interest to anyone working in this rapidly expanding field.

This handbook brings together crucial information related to mental illness among black Americans by examining the impact of social structures and conditions on the mental health of blacks. Choice

Foreword by James P. ComerPrefaceIntroduction by Dorothy S. RuizHealth and Social Status of Black AmericansSocial and Economic Profile of Black Americans, 1989 by Dorothy S. RuizThe Mental Health Status of Black Americans, 1983 by Alvin F. PoussaintEpidemiological Perspectives and IssuesThe Epidemiology of Mental Disorder in the Black Population by Harold W. Neighbors and Suzan LumpkinDepression among Blacks: An Epidemiologic Perspective by Diane Robinson BrownSuicide Trends of Blacks and Whites by Sex and Age, United States, 1967-1986 by Jacquelyne Johnson JacksonRacism and Mental HealthBlack Mental Health and Racial Oppression by Joycelyn Landrum-BrownStress, Coping, and Social Support: Their Effects on Black Women by Patricia J. DunstonPsychiatric Diagnosis and TreatmentEthnic and Cultural Factors in Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment by James L. Collins, Eliot Sorel, Joseph Brent, and Clyde B. MathuraSocial Factors in Diagnosis and Treatment by Clyde B. Mathura and Melanie A. BaerFamily and Community ViolenceUnderstanding Family Violence: An Afrocentric Analysis Based on Optimal Theory by Linda James MyersBlack-on-Black Homicide: The Implications for Black Mental Health by Carl C. BellLegal and Social Policy IssuesLegal Issues in Mental Health by Alice Gresham BullockMental Health and Social Policy by Mary S. HarperPositive Mental HealthPsychosocial Competence: Toward a Theory of Understanding Positive Mental Health among Black Americans by Louis P. Anderson, Chuck L. Eaddy, and Ernestine A. WilliamsCoping with Color: The Anatomy of Positive Mental Health by Barbara J. ShadeFactors Contributing to Positive Mental Health in Black Americans by Anderson J. Franklin and James S. JacksonSelected BibliographyIndex