Intersectional Care for Asian American and Pacific Islander Youth With Sexual or Gender Minority Identities in the Acute Psychiatric Care Setting.

Abstract

Youth who hold both Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and sexual or gender minority (SGM) identities are frequently overlooked and underserved, and experience intersecting forms of discrimination, interpersonal stressors, and structural barriers.¹ Amid heightened anti-AAPI and anti-SGM violence, these populations are particularly vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes. In 2023, over half of AAPI SGM reported experiences of depression, anxiety, and gender-based discrimination, and nearly half reported racial abuse.² Despite growing need, there are few established best practices for supporting the mental health needs of AAPI SGM youth. Guidelines tailoring psychiatric care to this population's needs in outpatient settings¹ have recently been complemented with considerations for SGM youth in the inpatient psychiatric setting.³ Building on this work, we identify 5 considerations that we believe to be key to the provision of high-quality mental health care to AAPI SGM youth and their families in both the acute emergency department (ED) and inpatient settings.