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Diversity and Culture

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Transition-Age Youth Mental Health Care

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Abstract

As the demographics of the United States change, so should the discussion about culture and diversity, especially as it applies to transitional age youth (TAY). These youth find themselves forming individual identities at the cusp of adulthood and must consider how to define themselves in a changing society. Depending on their specific circumstances, this period of identity formation can be more complex for transitional age youth. Additionally, in the past, different identity demographics were considered in isolation and used to characterize large swathes of the population. However, current thoughts on conceptualization have evolved. Now, healthcare providers, and particularly mental healthcare providers, should take demographic and cultural elements into account when formulating an assessment about each individual patient in a more intersectional, personalized framework and use that knowledge to guide treatment planning. There are growing academic conversations about bias, microaggressions, disparities, and identity, and how to incorporate these into clinical practice. Tools such as the cultural formulation interview can help mental health professionals obtain the necessary information to better understand and treat their patients. In this chapter, we describe these considerations using case examples, and some practical advice and tips for providers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Sarah H. Arshad & Jaclyn Datar Chua

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Virginia Treatment Center for Children, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, VA, USA

    Lauren P. Baker

  3. Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Virginia Treatment Center for Children, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, VA, USA

    Cheryl S. Al-Mateen

Authors
  1. Sarah H. Arshad
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  2. Jaclyn Datar Chua
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  4. Cheryl S. Al-Mateen
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Correspondence to Cheryl S. Al-Mateen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Student Health Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Vivien Chan

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Jennifer Derenne

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Arshad, S.H., Chua, J.D., Baker, L.P., Al-Mateen, C.S. (2021). Diversity and Culture. In: Chan, V., Derenne, J. (eds) Transition-Age Youth Mental Health Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62113-1_21

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