Racism and mental health into the 21st century: perspectives and parameters.

Definitions and theories of racism are reviewed, and the influence of racism on the American mental health system is examined, with special attention to the effects on racial and ethnic minorities of the sociopolitical climate of the 1990s. The aims of this special section are outlined and an overview is presented of the articles, which define some of the key problems of racism and mental health, describe their scope and effects, and propose approaches to remediation as we move into the 21st century.