“Black and Hispanic children and young adults with mental health issues are about half as likely as their white counterparts to get mental health care, according to a study out last week.

“That could play a part in why children from those communities end up getting expelled from school or are incarcerated at higher rates than their white or Asian peers, say authors of the study.

“The national study, titled, ‘Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Care for Children and Young Adults,’ appeared in the International Journal of Health Services. It examined data on children under 18, and young adults 18 to 34 from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2006 to 2012.

“The research was led by Dr. Lyndonna Marrast, who is currently an assistant professor of medicine at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine in New York.

“‘The study finds that minorities receive a lot less psychiatric care – which includes visits to psychiatrists, social workers and psychologists – despite consistent rates of mental illness across all racial and ethnic groups.’

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