Handbook of Mental Health in African American Youth

Alfiee M. Breland-Noble is Director of the African American Knowledge Optimized for Mindfully-Healthy Adolescents (AAKOMA) Project and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C. Her prior academic appointments were at Michigan State University and in the Department of Psychiatry at the Duke University Medical Center. She completed her training at Howard University (B.A.), New York University (M.A.), the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Ph.D.) and the Duke University School of Medicine (MHSc.).  Dr. Breland-Noble is an adolescent and child psychologist and researcher in academic medicine with a long track record of external and federal research funding. She is a recognized expert in adolescent depression and racial disparities in mental health as evidenced by her appointments to the American Psychological Association Treatment Guideline Development Panel for Depression Across the Lifespan and the Patient Centered OutcomesResearch Institute (PCORI) Addressing Disparities National Advisory Panel. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Child and Family Studies and a Consulting Editor for Professional Psychology: Research and Practice.Cheryl Singleton Al-Mateen is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond, Virginia. She is a child and adolescent psychiatrist, and serves as Clerkship Director in Psychiatry for VCUSOM. She is currently Interim Medical Director of the Virginia Treatment Center for Children (VTCC) of the VCU Health System. A graduate of Howard University and the Howard University College of Medicine, Dr. Al-Mateen completed her psychiatry residency and child psychiatry fellowship at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. She is Board Certified in General, Child andAdolescent, and Forensic Psychiatry. A recipient ofthe Leonard Tow Humanism award and the VCU Presidential Award for Community Multicultural Enrichment, she is past Chair of the School’s Multicultural Affairs Committee and serves as co-chair of the Diversity and Culture Committee of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She has received the Excellence in teaching award from the VTCC Trainees and the Service and Dedication awards from the VCUHS psychiatry residents and from the VTCC Trainees. She has also received the Outstanding Teacher Certificate Award from VCU medical students. Dr. Al-Mateen serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Child and Family Studies. Her interests are in cultural competency in medical education, vicarious traumatization and general academic child and adolescent psychiatry.  Nirbhay N. Singh is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA and with MacTavish Behavioral Health, inRaleigh, NC. Prior to his current appointment, he was a Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and Director of the Commonwealth Institute for Child and Family Studies, Richmond, Virginia. His research interests include mindfulness, behavioral and psychopharmacological treatments of individuals with disabilities, and assistive technology for supporting individuals with diverse abilities. He is the Editor-in-Chief of two journals: Journal of Child and Family Studies and Mindfulness, and Editor of three book series: Mindfulness in Behavioral Health, Evidence-based Practice in Behavioral Health, and Children and Families.

“This book integrates a cultural perspective into interventions for African American youth, exploring various treatment modalities for specific DSM-5 mental disorders … . The book ‘is intended to help researchers, practitioners, educators, and advocates understand the needs of this population from both a culturally sensitive and culturally relevant perspective.’ … The book does a good job of focusing on mental health issues in African American children and adolescents and exploring different treatment modalities and the results of research.” (Gary B. Kaniuk, Doody’s Book Reviews, July, 2016)

• ​Part I. Illness Prevalence & Assessment.- Chapter 1:  Epidemiology of Prevalent Mental Illnesses in African American Youth.- Chapter 2:  Culturally Relevant Diagnosis and Assessment of Mental Illness in African American Youth.- Part II: Treatment Modalities.- Chapter 3: Psychopharmacology.- Chapter 4: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).- Chapter 5: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT).- Chapter 6: Mindfulness.- Chapter 7: Inpatient treatment.- Chapter 8: Community Mental Health.- Part III: Illnesses and Targeted Treatment Outcomes.- Chapter 9: Autism Spectrum Disorders.- Chapter 10: ADHD.- Chapter 11: CD and ODD.- Chapter 12: Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive, and Trauma Related Disorders.- Chapter 13: Mood Disorders.- Chapter 14: Eating Disorders.- Chapter 15: Schizophrenia.- Chapter 16: Intellectual and Developmental Disorders.- Chapter 17: Learning Disabilities.- Chapter 18: Substance Related and Addictive Disorders.- Part IV: Additional Important Topics.- Chapter 19: Disparities in Access to Mental Health Care for African American Youth.- Chapter 20: Future Directions.