Cultural Mistrust: An Important Psychological Construct for Diagnosis and Treatment of African Americans

Although clinicians are encouraged to be more sensitive to cultural factors in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, as evidenced by the significant changes in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994), little information is provided to help them determine which aspects of culture are important to the mental health of African Americans. This article discusses the importance of cultural mistrust as a psychological construct in the lives of African Americans. The origins of the construct, the research it has generated over the past 2 decades, and implications for improving interventions with Black clients seeking mental health care are discussed.