Latino Mental Health Case Study

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.

When it comes to identifying the Latino’s population by a type of skin color most would consider themselves as Caucasian while a few identify themselves as Black. Many others associate themselves with indigenous race while others are increasingly identifying themselves as “other”. Their origins range from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Guatemala. Notable differences among the Latino groups center on the aspects of language refinement, educational status, cultural values and attitudes toward mental health treatment (Brice, 2001).

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

Different sub-groups among the Latino Community possesses varying rates of psychological disorders. A recent study, conducted by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, surveyed those of the Latino and Hispanic Communities in the United States. This study revealed, that generally, 27% of Latinos reported having higher levels of depression. Among the various Latino groups, those having a lower score of 22.3% were those of the Mexican descent and those having a

According to Shattell et al. (2008), there is a notable discrepancy between Latinos’ that are in need of services and the actual utilization of services. This week’s readings provided much insight as to why Latinos underutilize mental health services. On an individual level one must consider how a person’s belief system will affect treatment. According to Shattell et al. (2008), Latinos often view mental illness as being caused by a curse and other evil spirits. They do not see their symptoms as signs of a mental illness, so in turn they would not seek services. Shattell et al. (2008) further explains that Latinos are often suspicious and guarded about disclosing their symptoms to practitioners. This can prevent a practitioner from providing

This article is about a Social Worker advocating for undocumented Latino families here in the United States. The article addresses the needs for undocumented Latino immigrants as they attempt to settle in America. These needs include mental health, physical health care, education, information and support services, and community effort. It talks about the economic crisis that has left the Latinos with higher unemployment rates. In certain parts of the country, it is mandatory to have documents proving their legal residency in the U.S before receiving health care services.

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

The fear of deportation puts an added burden on the caregiver, who may not be aware of the health care services available. In addition, research suggests that Latinas are less likely to seek outside help as there are few services that address the needs of Spanish speaking individuals. Most live in communities where health and social services are extremely limited (Land & Guada, 2011). Lack of immigration documentation prohibits qualification for mental and health benefits, which adds to additional stress to the caregiver (Dennenberg, 1997; Land, 1994).

Immigration is the means for a individual that is not originally from an area or country to migrate to another area, “the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country” (Google, 2017). When an individual from a different country migrates into a foreign country they undergo “immediate stressors associated with meeting basic survival needs, losing the familiar, learning English, and meeting the demands of life in a new environment. They also soon face resettlement challenges of cop- ing with cultural change, mobilizing resources to meet their needs, and formulating future life goals” (Timberlake, Faber, Wall, Taylor, Sabatino, 2003) Immigrants usually rely on their spirituality, moral frameworks, culture framework and famility sustaining

Similarly, in community-based studies of diagnosed psychiatric disorders, low-acculturated migrant Mexican farmworkers, when compared with native-born Mexican Americans and with non-Hispanic White Americans, exhibited the lowest rates of psychiatric disorder (Alderete, Vega, Kolody, & AguilarGaxiola, 2000). Some investigators have argued that methodological flaws produce these paradoxical effects (Palloni & Morenoff, 2001; Smith & Bradshaw, 2006), whereas others have argued that observed confounds do not obviate these paradoxical effects (Morales, Mara, Kington, Valdez, & Excarce, 2002). The recent assertion by Smith and Bradshaw (2006) that the Hispanic paradox does not exist is based on a study that uses a Spanish surname as a proxy measure for Hispanic ethnicity and also defines health advantage narrowly by using mortality as their major health outcome. Unfortunately, several of these studies have not examined deeper aspects of culture, such as traditional beliefs and

The United States is a melting pot of racial and ethnic cultures, whose health status, amongst minority groups varies due to the influence of socioeconomic status and educational background. This falls true within the Hispanic community where it is important to receive culturally competent care among the diverse populations to help increase health promotion and gain a cultural perspective on the promotion of health within the culture. There are complex and connected causes of the health disparities within the Hispanic community that are all contributing factors to the current health status. Health Status The Hispanic population, and especially in the number of Hispanic youth is rapidly growing.

Undocumented immigrants in the United States are denied and limited to health care access due to their legal status. However, recent arrived immigrants are healthier than the general U.S. population. According to the National Longitudinal Mortality Study (1979-1989), “Singh and Siahpush (2001) found that all-cause mortality was significantly lower among immigrants than among the U.S. born (18% lower for men and 13% lower for women), after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, marital status, urban/rural residence, education, occupation, and family income (Acevedo-Garcia & Bates, 2008). While policy and Health Care Acts are denying and limiting health insurance to undocumented immigrants and wanting them out of the country, that may not be an appropriate strategy to promote health insurance in Latino communities since recent arriving immigrants are healthier than the general U.S. population. Some studies suggest that, “Latino and immigrants have more positive health behaviors, particularly related to substance abuse, than their non-Latino and U.S. born counterparts. For example, compared to non-Latino whites, Latinos are less likely to consume cigarettes or alcohol, independent of SES (Abraido-Lanza, Chao, & Florez, 2005)(Acevedo-Garcia & Bates, 2008). However, after several years of acculturating into the majority culture, Latinos/as are becoming accustomed to unhealthy habits that American citizens are familiar with. Researchers have taken in consideration the Latino Health

Latino’s are non-affluent people with better health than the most affluent people, which was a question to America, thence the “Latino Paradox” was established in 1960. The Paradox shows that the U.S has very high levels of depression, and new Immigrants has very low levels of depression. The theory of the Latino Paradox was Mexican families stick together under hard circumstances, conditions and helped each other solve their problems (reason being they have such good health).

The mental health disparities for Latino families who are among the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority group in the United States ( Ennis, Rios-Vargas, & Albert, 2011), reinforces the importance in understanding risk factors that contribute to the high risk of mental health issues for this population (Lawton, Gerdes, 2014). Most research has focused on the relationship between acculturation and its impact on mental health status for Latinos’ living in the U.S, but findings continue to be controversial. A synthesis of current research demonstrates that limitations in attempting to explain vulnerability issues for Latinos’ incudes lack of consistency with measurement of acculturation, limited use

Nevertheless, this process profoundly differs among Latino and African-American it is based on white middle-class gay participants (Lewis and Marshall 2011; Bridges, Selvidge, & Matthews 2003). The unique stressors that Latinos and African-Americans face on a daily basis have serious implication in their mental health (Loiacano 1989).