Multicultural Mental Health

Mental illness disorders and suicide as surveys and statistics would show, affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at a higher rate than the rest of the Australian population (Elder, Evans, Nizette, 2013). Thirty percent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population aged 18 years and over experienced some sort psychological distress at a greater than normal level during the year 2012 to 2013 (ABS, 2015). Compared to other Australians, the Indigenous people aged 18 years and over were three times more prone to experiencing psychological distress than the rest of the Australian population (ABS, 2015). Mental health services treat more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in contrast with the Non-Aboriginal population, around

The article Asian American Mental Health: What We Know And What We Don't Know by Stanley Sue was about Asian Americans and how they deal with their mental health. There are about 4% of Asians in the United States and because of this small percentage; it is hard for researchers to find people to help conclude their studies. What some have found out is that Asian Americans are offered mental health services but rarely use it. They find other ways such as asking their family for help or making an herbal remedy to help with their sickness. A researcher named Kuo has studies that show Asians are more depressed than Caucasians. According to a researcher named Leong the high depression rate is because Asians have problems with adjusting. I think what these researchers have studied is a great topic but it just needs more information. According to the article since it is such a low population of Asians in America it is hard to find people to do the research on. I think if they keep looking they can get more information about this topic.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURE ON MENTAL HEALTH AND HOW THIS CAN AFFECT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEN THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER AND THE CLIENT

The lack of mental health care services for minorities is a long-standing problem in the United States. The first time the issue received attention was in 1985, when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report that described serious health discrepancies that minority populations were enduring. In 1986, because of this report, the Office of Minority Health was formed to assist in the reduction of the health care shortages for

Mental health illnesses affect everyone. It is highly prevalent affecting people of all ages, gender, cultures, and social groups. Attitudes towards mental health illnesses vary among individuals and often are highly influenced by the various cultures that the individuals identify with. Culture as a social concept can be defined as a set of norms, values, behaviours, and beliefs that are common and shared amongst a group of individuals (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). Culture can be applicable to groups like Asians and Americans but also to groups of shared norms, beliefs, and values established within professions such as the culture of patients and practitioners. Culture provides these groups with structure and context to understanding their society and the world as a whole. Culture influence a wide range of aspects of mental health, including how mental health is perceived by the patient, how the patient will experience mental health stigma, and how they cope with symptoms of mental health illness. Additionally, these cultural influences impact the relationship between the patient and the practitioner in a number of ways.

One reason there should be greater access to mental health help for immigrants is because of the idea of universal health. Universal health is the belief that the security of knowing one has the help they need is not something that should vary with citizenship, rather should be entitled to all regardless of their location or status.Verina Wild, Deborah Zion and Richard Ashcroft, affiliate of the

The journal article examines the teaching of multiculturalism as a discipline in the counseling field. No other field of study is more affected by multiculturalism then the field of counseling. “In the study research appears to confirm the importance of attending to cultural concerns in the therapeutic process as well as the efficacy of multicultural training approaches in the establishment of multicultural counseling competence”. (Fetzer, 2016) Further research also shows that racial group membership and racial identity of the student impacted engagement in multicultural counseling.

Openness, honesty and directness are essential components in open dialogue with multicultural clients in order to maintain a relationship of value. Miller (2015) describes open dialogue as an atmosphere in which dialogue is engaged in an open fashion in a therapy session. It includes the creation of an intimate environment where challenges related to racial and ethnic factors can be openly discussed (p. 311). For example, when treating an African American client who experiences depression and concerns for her/his safety, a counselor could consider how living in an underserved neighborhood where crime may be rampant has an effect on how one would go about their day. The client may fear for their life frequently and perhaps protracted efforts to find a job have been unsuccessful. The specificity of race in these circumstances could be the determining factor in the client’s depression and safety concerns. If the same client suffered from addiction, the therapist could reflect on how being a part of a minority group with a history of being sidelined and discriminated against could have, in part, enabled the addiction as a method of coping with life stressors.

Multicultural psychology is "the systematic study of all aspects of human behavior as it occurs in settings where people of different cultural backgrounds encounter each other. Multiculturalism has been considered a "fourth force" in the field of psychology, supplementing behaviorism, psychodynamic theories, and humanistic psychology. It explores such topics as differences in worldviews and in means of communication; the acculturation process; stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination and racism; cultural identity development; and building multicultural competence" (Fhagen-Smith, 2010). Multicultural psychology attempts "to understand and to accurately represent the psychology

Human services workers have a vast knowledge of working with people from diverse backgrounds. As a result, they are able to help clients realize the positive attributes relating to their cultural identity and utilize strategies to help them identify multicultural issues that may be presenting problems or areas of concern for the client.

An additional barrier to multicultural counseling is client access to care. The utilization of mental health services by minority groups is low in the United States (Smith, Domenech Rodriguez, Guillermo, 2011). The fact that minority groups underutilize mental health services is attributed to systemic issues such as lack of affordable transportation, inconvenient office hours, demographic mismatch, language barriers, economics, and lack of clinics in neighborhoods with predominately ethnic minority groups (Smith, Domenech Rodriguez, Guillermo, 2011). To address these issues, multiculturalism in the mental health services field has committed to equipping more culturally competent counselors, encouraging community-based counseling efforts for easier access, increasing bilingual and culturally diverse counselors, as well social advocacy. Despite their recognition, these challenges are difficult to remedy and remain a problem for clients of minority groups.

Expectedly, Asian American students have a variety of mental health issues including problems centered on academia, interpersonal, health/substance abuse, and family difficulties (Schoen, 2005). However, the need for counseling services does not match the rate of utilization among this population due to the stigma associated with receiving mental health services (Kim & Omizo, 2003). Studies show that less acculturated Asian Americans tend to have less favorable views on seeking mental health services than those who are more acculturated (Atkinson & Gim, 1989; Tata & Leong, 1994). Research on Asian Americans consistently show that Asian groups, including Asian American students, are likely to express depressive symptoms as somatic symptoms

Mental health services ended up being far from reached by patients with primary psychiatric disorders. Mental health care means not only improving access but also improving clinical quality and ensuring cultural competence. It is the ability to treat and support programs to encounter individuals on personal terms and in methods that are customarily aware.

     After reading the many articles on the notion of diagnosis and counseling with multicultural/ethnic patients, it has come to my attention that this focus is solely based on stereotypical attitudes. Sure, it can be said that it is important for a therapist to have a background of the patient’s heritage and culture, but doesn’t this necessarily mean that the outlook of the therapist will be put in a box by doing so? I think multicultural competency is a ridiculous way to improve patient-therapist relationships because of several reasons. First off, generalities and race-centralisms only hinder, not improve, the inner workings of a therapy session. Second, there is no real way to test

Cultural wellness is not a problem for me because I accept anyone for who they are or want to be in life. I don’t like to judge people based on how they look because behind their smile or physical self there is something in life that made them change on how they want to be by sexual oreinted or gender. I accept every race because I know how it feels not to understand just english .