Histories of psychiatry in the United States can shed light on current areas of need in mental health research and treatment. Often, however, these histories fail to represent accurately the distinct trajectories of psychiatric care among black and white populations, not only homogenizing the historical narrative but failing to account for current disparities in mental health care among these populations. The current paper explores two parallel histories of psychiatry in the United States and the way that these have come to influence current mental health practices. Juxtaposing the development of psychiatric care and understanding as it was provided for, and applied to, black and white populations, a picture of the theoretic foundations of mental health emerges, revealing the separate history that led to the current uneven state of psychiatric care.

美国精神病学的历史可以揭示当前心理健康研究和治疗的需求领域。然而，这些历史往往不能准确地代表黑人和白人人群中精神保健的不同轨迹，不仅使历史叙述同质化，而且未能解释这些人群中当前精神保健方面的差异。目前的论文探讨了美国精神病学的两个平行历史以及这些历史如何影响当前的心理健康实践。将精神病护理和理解的发展并列提供并应用于黑人和白人人群，出现了心理健康理论基础的图景，