Mental Health Crisis Responses and (In)Justice: Intrasystem and Intersystem Implications

Mental health crises among people who are marginalized merit special consideration. These groups are both overserved and underserved by mental health crisis systems: over-represented in acute treatment settings by number while facing inequities in outcomes. The predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factors that contribute to crises, however, neither begin nor end with the mental health system. Rather, these factors are multisystemic. As an illustration of this concept, this article highlights select marginalized groups, those that have faced inequities in mental health diagnosis and treatment due to race, medical complexity, age, and criminal justice system involvement.