A Brief Note On Mental Health Services And The Latino Community

The decision between the Therapist and Latino client is a remarkable example of the importance of being sensitize and culturally competent. The therapist appeared to have inadvertently added to the client’s stress which potentially negatively affect the worker-client relationship as well as the intervention process. My initial response to the dialog was that of confusion. Although I tried to empathize with the counselor’s method of getting the young lady to take responsibility for her actions. I totally disagreed with his lack of insensitivity to the client’s indirect message. The young lady was trying to convey her feelings about her experiences as a Latino woman. He did not take inconsideration that although humans often have similar stories.

The Latino community, from immigrating to United States born Latinos are often known to be depressed. Depression is a medical illness that causes a constant feeling of sadness and lack of interest, it affects how the person feels, behaves and thinks. Many Latinos rely on their extended family, community, traditional healers, or churches for help during a health crisis. As a result, many Latinos with mental illnesses often go without professional mental treatment. But why is it that Latinos are so reluctant to receiving help? Sheila Dichoso states that, “there are only 29 Latino mental-health professionals for every 100,000 Latinos in the United States, compared to 173 non-Hispanic white providers

In the United States, the Latino American population has risen by over 40% within the past decade and accounts for over 17.1% of the Nations society. In 2050, the Latino Community is expected to make up nearly one-fourth of the population and 2/3 of the U.S. Hispanics are from the Mexican-American Subgroup. In the United States, there has been extensive research examining the prevalence of varying psychiatric disorders among the Latino Hispanic Communities. There are many deeply rooted and socioeconomic factors that may contribute to the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of psychiatric disorders. Example factors, such as reception of immigrations, history of immigration, experiences involving discrimination, and strength of an ethnic community, are just to name a few. Due to the expansion of the Latino and Hispanic minorities in the United States, this has become a major challenge for today’s healthcare system.

Despite their better standing, the research has surprisingly found that they are “only slightly more likely than those whose parents were first-generation immigrants to have had some education beyond high school or to report household or personal incomes above $25,000” (28). These differences in educational and occupational attainment may be attributed to the overcrowded, underfunded inner-city schools second and third generation Latinos attend or to the fact that young Latinos feel economic pressure to drop out of school to get a job and financially assist their families; thus, keeping them in lower occupational ranks since the well-paid professional positions require a higher educational standard. These results are a bit disheartening, but nonetheless, the educational attainment of Latinos is still in a positive trend since we are seeing a slow, yet gradual increase of educational attainment.

Due to a clinicians’ lack of understanding of Hispanic culture, feelings of alienation can result from the patient. Family and social structures are different in Hispanic culture, whereas “professional help may not be sought due to Hispanics considering substance abuse a family problem” (Reif, Horgan & Ritter, 2008). In Hispanic culture it is perceived that family issues remain in the family, thus outside help is frowned upon. When treating clients from this population, clinicians need to include the whole family in the treatment plan and to respect family

Poverty among the Latino community has converted into an endemic predicament in the development of children living in the United States. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) indicated that poverty is uppermost with children making up 21.6% living below the poverty line in comparison to young adults (19.0%) and elders (18.1%). The California Poverty Measure (CPM) by PPIC analysis concluded that 7.5 millions of Californians lacked resources and made an income of about $30,000 a year. That is just above the poverty line which is to earn $24,000 a year. Although Latinos are constantly operational in the work field, they have a higher scarcity rate than any other ethnic group due to their association with lower education and deficiency of income (PPIC, 2017). In addition, according to The Pew Research Center, many Latino families are experiencing economic hardship as a result of moribund financial wealth, increased mortality rates, and higher birth rates among the Latino immigrant population (Lopez, Velasco, 2011). Poverty has produced several obstacles to Latino children in regards to their shifting family dynamics, learning, and development, but there are wide-ranging solutions that aid children of limited income households to prosper. This essay will scrutinize and discuss the assorted effects of poverty for Latino children living in the United States in the context of family dynamics, education, and development, as well as propose a solution to

Iannotta, Joah G. Emerging Issues in Hispanic Health: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, D.C.: National Academies, 2002. Print.

Across the country, a steady increase has been noted in the number of patients presenting to emergency departments for psychiatric complaints (Zun, 2014). Patients also attempt to use their primary care doctors to treat their mental illnesses. The mental health care options for these patients are extremely limited, especially for minority populations such as African Americans and Hispanics. One out of four adults in America suffers from some form of mental illness, yet only one out of three of those affected receives treatment (Safran, 2009). Furthermore, patients are routinely misdiagnosed, receive poor quality of care, receive care from providers who have no understanding of their cultures and values, or are not even able to receive care in the first place (Sanchez, 2012).

barriers may weigh into African-Americans and Hispanics cautiousness of mental health facilities. (Bailey et al., 2011).

3. Corona, R., Gonzalez, T., Cohen, et al. “Richmond Latino Needs Assessment: A Community-University Partnership to Identify Health Concerns and Service Needs for Latino Youth”. J Community Health. 34.(2009): 195-201.

These news stories would describe the overall impact that this problem is having but would also feature intimate portraits of Latino young people and their families who are struggling with mental health conditions. These features would also talk to the social workers and teachers who are struggling to meet the needs of young people without access to adequate resources. This would allow these workers and teachers to share not only the struggle but possible solutions that community and political leaders can be a part

Having a strong support system plays a role in the survival and success of this community. There is a lack of formal support for the Hispanic community, that is why they rely heavily on their informal support system. The formal support that is available is not culturally relevant to the Hispanic community. Barrio (2000) states, “When the objective is to design and provide services relevant to a particular culture, this process also appraises the fit between the service system and the unique ethnocultural qualities, needs, and expectations of the client system to be served” (p. 880). There is no such thing as a “one size fits all” formal support systems. We need to tailor to the specific community, in this case the Hispanic community, to meet their needs and expectations. Delgado and Humm-Delgado state that we as Human services workers must not diminish the importance of natural support systems, but we cannot use that as an excuse to say that they can support each other and do not need our support (p. 88). We must be client-centered and focus on what that particular individual needs, despite how strong their natural support is. Natural support systems are limited, they cannot provide essential medical assistance, stable income, and mental health services. We must utilize their support system to help us as Human services workers to better serve

There are Latinos who need services, but as mentioned, they also face barriers that hold them back from seeking the help they need. If Latinos feel that the services are culturally appropriate it will be easier and more comfortable for them to be willing to seek the services. One of the first things Latinos may look for is to see if services are bilingual as well as providers. (Haack et al. 2011; NIH 2002; Ojeda et al. 2010 as cited in Haack, Gerdes, & Lawton, 2014). It is important to make that clear as well as the information on the agency. Reaching out to communities may also be a successful strategy to get through Latinos, such as churches and places where they feel safe, and they trust. By hearing it from someone close to them, such as

From the social workers perspective, I do not have any personal bias toward this population (as mentioned earlier I have a deep connection to Puerto Rico). I do feel that one important area of concern would be the need to be educated about would be the way I would recognize problems, based on their culture and strong family ties and be able to relate and create a bond of trust with a Puerto Rican client. There are several mental health issues that are commonly reported among Latinos in the Caribbean based on a study conducted in 2014. Ataques de nervios,

There are many people in the United States who are experiencing mental health problems, yet, according to research, most of these people are not seeking help. Since it is expected that about 40 percent of adolescents living in the Unites States will be Latin-American by 2060 (qtd. In Kapke), this has made researchers want to help provide effective, accessible, and appropriate services for Latin-American families. In the article “Latino Early Adolescent Mental Health: Examining the Impact of Family Functioning, Familism, and Global Self-Worth” by Theresa Kapke, she explains that Latin American children are at risk of mental health problems due to discrimination, immigration, and serious cases of poverty that is forced upon them. Also in the