Editorial: When the Kids at School Look Like Me: Who Benefits and in What Ways?

Abstract

Farid and Dunham's 1939 classic psychiatric epidemiologic study of schizophrenia and psychosis in Chicago found that overall White individuals generally had lower psychiatric admission rates for psychosis than Black individuals; however, that was not the case for primarily Black areas in the city.¹ In these areas, White individuals had remarkably high admission rates and Black individuals had unusually low rates. A review of 20th century studies also found an association between ethnic density and rates of schizophrenia, and proposed reduced exposure to prejudice and increased social support as underlying mechanisms.² The ethnic density hypothesis puts forward that racial/ethnic minority groups have better mental health in spaces with relatively more individuals who share the same racial or ethnic background. A contemporary study found that ethnoracial minoritized youth at clinical high risk for psychosis who grew up in neighborhoods with high ethnic congruence had a higher likelihood of remission at the 2-year follow up.³.