Outline Mental health disparity among the different ethnic groups in the United States has been highlighted for years. The Latino or Hispanic population suffers the greatest disparity among all the other ethnic groups. Latinos are unable to get access to major services like cultural competent care. Living conditions for Latinos is usually in poverty stricken area with limited access to psychiatric care. Latinos are also likely to be without insurance coverages. Added to this, most Latinos with a mental health disorder will be reluctant to seek medical assistance because of stigmatization. These reasons have contributed to an increase in mental health disorders and the disparity that is seen in their communities. This is a major social justice …show more content…
The most important of these is the lack of access to mental health services the Hispanic population experience. They are affected by mental health problems at rates that are similar or higher to those of the general population (APA). They are therefore a very high-risk group because of the disparities they experience in seeking social services and following up with treatment. Hispanics are the highest minority population in the United States. It has therefore taken the attention of major stakeholders because of the lack of social services that are available to them, especially those with mental health. For example, the Surgeon General in 2001 made a report titled Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity, in which he stressed on the need to eliminate disparities in the utilization of mental health services among Latinos as a top priority. He concluded that the disparities they experience have contributed to major depressive disorders among them and has led to chronic illnesses. It has led to a high degree of functional limitation among them than among other populations. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) also contributed to this discussion in its report titled Unequal Treatment. They defined disparity as differences between racial-ethnic minority groups and whites that have contributed to both socio-economic and health care disparities that are for most of the time against …show more content…
One of the goals of Healthy People 2010 is to eliminate health disparities among groups. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR), has been leaders of the Healthy People 2010 initiative to eliminate disparities among racial groups. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) also contributed to this debate by providing definitions and statistics on this issue. Finally, the National Healthcare Disparities Report further gave evidence on this topic and the need to do something to change the situation. All these organizations have seen huge differences that the different communities or populations experience in mental health today in the U.S. All of them have the firm conviction that Latinos suffer a great disservice when it comes to accessing mental health services and they are also in agreement that this disparity needs to change and has therefore decided to make an input on this
Mental health care disparities can be rooted in inequalities in access to good providers, differences in insurance coverage, or discrimination by health professionals in the clinical encounter (McGuire & Miranda, 2008). Surely, those who are affected by these disparities are minorities Blacks and Latinos compare to Whites. Due to higher rates of poverty and poor health among United States minorities compared with whites. Moreover, the fact that poverty and poor health are
Mental healthcare has a long and murky past in the United States. In the early 1900s, patients could live in institutions for many years. The treatments and conditions were, at times, inhumane. Legislation in the 1980s and 1990s created programs to protect this vulnerable population from abuse and discrimination. In the last 20 years, mental health advocacy groups and legislators have made gains in bringing attention to the disparity between physical and mental health programs. However, diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses continues to be less than optimal. Mental health disparities continue to exist in all areas of the world.
Health care for mental illness is an issue in the African American community for Men, Women and Adolescents due to the underserving and lack of mental healthcare providers, the cultural stigma of having mental illness and the socioeconomic status of African Americans.
According to the institute of Medicine (IOM), racism is a problem in the health care system, that is, the difference between the quality of health care received by minorities and non-minorities is due to racism. IOM is a nonprofit organization that advises the federal government and the public on science policy. It released a report that on average, minorities receive a lower quality of care, even when factors such as income and type of health insurance are accounted for. The report by IOM states that racial stereotypes and prejudice are the cause of the health care disparities. The article by IOM points ...
Within minority communities, self-stigma is a more prominent factor in their aversion to mental health treatment. In the article, “Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Illness Stigma and Discrimination Among Californians Experiencing Mental Health Challenges,” Eunice Wong explains a variety of feelings in ethnic minorities towards self-stigma. “Asian-Americans reported higher levels of self-stigma (with respect to feeling inferior to others who have not had a mental health problem. Latinos interviewed in English also experienced higher levels of self-stigma (with respect to feeling embarrassed, ashamed, and not being understood because of a mental health problem) and were more likely to say that they would conceal a potential mental health problem from coworkers or classmates than whites” (Wong). It makes sense for self-stigma to be seen more in a negative light, which Wong shows through a research study with ethnic minorities. Asian-Americans and Latinos associate self-stigma with inward feelings of shame or inferiority already illustrates how this is a problem when it comes to acknowledging mental illness (Wong). The Latinos in the study also mentioned how they would be more likely to conceal mental illness from their personal community than Whites because of self-stigma, which is a common behavior among minorities (Wong). Latinos conceal their mental illness from
All minority groups experience discrimination which leads to increased levels of stress in those individuals. As the level of stress goes up, so does the risk for several health complications including those related to mental health. Wells, Klap, Koike, and Sherbourne (2001) conducted a study examining the disparities in mental health care among black, Hispanic, and white Americans. Of those Hispanics in the study (n=617), 16.6% of them had a probable mental disorder compared to 13.4% of whites (n=7,299). Hispanics also had a higher incidence of substance abuse problems with 9% of those surveyed meeting criteria compared to 7.6% of whites. Hispanics also had the least reported perceived need for treatment with 10.4% for mental health and only 1.3% for substance abuse. A clinician treating Antonio should keep in mind that he has a higher likelihood of having a mental illness or substance use disorder than a white client as well as the fact that if he does meet the criteria for either, that he probably does not believe he needs
Psychological distress, acculturation, and help-seeking attitudes were all measured using specific indexes and scales set for the point of interest. The hypotheses of this research was that even within the African American community, one would find disparities in the treatment of psychological issues – just based on the method of acculturation used, and their views on society. There are 4 basic modes of acculturation: traditionalist, assimilationist, integrationist, and marginalist. It is thought that the integrationist acculturation strategy is the best for optimizing and maximizing well-being. Although there is not a difference in the number of African Americans that have mental health problems when compared to European-Americans, the percentage of those who seek professional mental health services due to emotional distress is representatively lower. The rate at which African Americans receive psychological help services is half as much as that of European Americans – there is a need for an explanation of that statistic. The goal of this paper is to determine the reasoning behind the help-seeking disparities in African Americans and the field of psychological health. In order to make health services fair, we must first understand the reasoning behind why or why not one would seek out professional help in the first place. Understanding ethno cultural attitudes and other cultural variables will allow the health care field to better relate and help all people more uniformly and to the best of their needs.
Fortuna, Lisa R, MD and Michelle V Porche, EdD. “Clinical Issues and Challenges in Treating Undocumented Immigrants.” Psychiatirc Times. 15 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Those that are homeless or living in poverty have high rates of mental disorders, but have limited access to get assistance due to they are the ones that are being discriminated against because of their social status (Saxena, et al., 2007). In some countries, it is a person’s sex that determines if they meet the criteria for assistance, more woman than men normally meet the criteria for common mental disorders and assistance (Saxena, et al., 2007). The last example are those that live in rural areas due to they are not in close proximity to a major city to be able to receive the care they need (Saxena et al., 2007). Where I live these are all barriers for those with mental illness to get assistance and I do not feel like there is much being done to improve the situation. Next I will discuss the last worldwide barrier, which is inefficiencies when using the
People with serious socio-emotional and emotional disturbances are challenged in many aspects of life. Historically people of color with serious mental health related issues had little assistance and chances to having their needs met equally to Whites. In order to properly or adequately address the emotional and mental wellbeing of everyone on an equal basis, the stigma association must be removed from people of color.
3) Surgeon General's Report: "Mental Health- Culture, Race, Ethnicity" . A supplement to "Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General 1999."
Whaley, A. L. (1997). Ethnic and racial differences in perceptions of dangerousness of persons with mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 48, 1328-1330.
Nearly 44 million American adults, and millions of children, experience mental health conditions each year, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress. This month, we renew our commitment to ridding our society of the stigma associated with mental illness, encourage those living with mental health conditions to get the help they need, and reaffirm our pledge to ensure those who need help have access to the support, acceptance, and resources they deserve. Our Nation has made strong advances in improving prevention, increasing early intervention, and expanding treatment of mental illnesses. And because of more than $100 million in funding from the Affordable Care Act, community health centers have expanded behavioral health services for nearly 900,000 people nationwide over the past 2 years. Still, far too few Americans experiencing mental illnesses do not receive the care and treatment they need. During National Mental Health
Similar to gender, on a biological basis, being born a particular race does not necessarily predisposition one for ill mental health. However, there are recorded trends of certain racial groups experiencing some specific psychological disorders more than others. For example, a report published by Toronto Public Health in 2013 examined rates of depression between racialized groups. The report found that Black individuals were at greater risk of depressive symptoms in comparison to the White individuals (Ansara et al., 2013). In addition, a separate study conducted in 2008 revealed that American Indians showed greater risk for post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependence, but lower risk for major depression (McGuire et al., 2008). When examining possible reasons for certain racial groups to be a greater risk for particular mental disorders, similar to gender, it is important to examine unique social experiences that may be more attributable to certain racial groups. Social inequities, racial discrimination, poverty, and marginalization of racialized groups can have an eviscerating effect on these people. Despite these trends, the most important factor to be aware of is that racial and ethnic minorities have less access to mental health service, compared to Whites. As well, they are less likely to receive
Both mental illness and substance abuse remain stigmatized with major gender, racial-ethnic and economic inequalities in access, use and quality of services and support. Therefore, my goal is to collaborate with educational institutions, health organizations and government agencies to create, study, and disseminate interventions that reduce the risk, increase resilience, provide effective treatment, and aid in-long term recovery. In particular, I am interested in creating policies that will help bridge the economic inequalities face by those who experience mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders. With these plans in mind, I am currently studying French and will continue working with underserved communities to gain valuable field experience in public