African and African American mental health encompasses the psychological experience of individuals who are part of the African diaspora, commonly referred to as “Black.” In addition to individuals who live on the continent of Africa, the diaspora includes those individuals who were moved throughout the western hemisphere via the transatlantic slave trade. Therefore, people of African descent are found throughout the globe. Numerous ethnic, cultural, spiritual, and geographical factors influence the mental health of Black people, and given the various subgroups, it is noteworthy that researchers’ and scholars’ understanding of mental health across the diaspora is growing and far from complete. The term Black is used in this entry, because it the most encompassing terminology. However, when citing research and statistics, the terminology utilized in ...