Racial, Ethnic, And Socio Economical Disparities Of Mental Health

The provision of mental health services in the U.S. is a social justice issue that affects vulnerable populations in a variety of ways, including: limited access to quality mental health programs, especially in rural areas; the stigma associated with seeking mental health help; and discrimination against those with mental health issues. The far-reaching implications on our current system and policies of mental health care mean that it is a pervasive issue in the United States. According to the Scientific American, “Mental health care is one of the biggest

Mental illness is an increasing problem in America. Currently about 26.2% of Americans suffer from a mental disorder. A mental illness/disorder is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, and ability to relate to others and daily functions. Mental illness can affect humans of any age, race, gender and socioeconomic status. However the care that is needed to effectively cure and help the people affected by the illness is not equal for everyone here in American, especially for African Americans.

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).

According to the World Health Organization, mental illness will affect approximately 25% of people at some point in their life (“WHO Qualityrights”, n.d.). Despite that, the current mental health care system in the United States is inadequate. Many aspects of the system need improving, especially the barriers to service. In fact, approximately 20% of individuals are left without necessary treatment for their mental health disorder (“Mental Health”, 2016). Mentally ill individuals have difficulty accessing necessary mental health care services for various reasons; insurance, socioeconomic status, and mental health stigma can all function as barriers to treatment. Insurance discrimination can make it difficult for individuals to find treatment (Han, Call, Pintor, Alarcon-Espinoza, & Simon, 2015). Gaps in insurance coverage can also be a barrier, as they disrupt the long-term treatment process (Gulley, Rasch, & Chan 2011). Socioeconomic status has been found to negatively affect appointment scheduling (Kugelmass, 2016). Finally, stigma in our society can also stop people from seeking out treatment that they need (Bathje & Pryor, 2011). The mental health system in the United States is not capable of caring for the mentally ill, as insurance, socioeconomic status, and perceived stigma all act as barriers that prevent people from receiving the treatment they need.

Latino culture sees mental illness as weakness (Abdullah & Brown, 2001). This becomes a barrier since Latinos fear the stigma associated with mental health treatment (Vega, Rodriguez and Ang, 2010). According to Dr balbaskdjfdks, “Latinos usually seek help when the problem has reached a head and feel they have no other choice.” (personal communication). She also reported that “Latinos face many barriers to seeking mental health services. They fear the stigma associated with going to a mental health provider. They lack the insurance to get treatment. They also lack the knowledge for seeking mental health treatment.” (personal communication) According to one study, the most commonly reported barriers were lack of awareness of available mental health services, lack of knowledge, and lack of awareness of location of services (Aguilar-Gaxiola, Zelexny, Garcia, Edmondson, Alejo-Garcia, & Vega, 2002). According to the same study 58% of participants did not know where to obtain mental health services. Research shows that a key factor in seeking treatment is knowledge of where to find it (Ortega and Alegria,

As discussed in class, little advancement has been made in the field of mental health care over the past two decades. Rates of mental illness continue to be high especially among certain subgroups, but progress has been stunted by stigma and social environmental issues. Mental health disparities, like many other health disparities, are embedded within a trend of socioeconomic differences (Miranda, McGuire, Williams, & Wang, 2008). Racial and class disparities exist among those afflicted

Did you know that 19.9 percent of adult Americans had some sort of a mental illness, according to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (samhsa.gov, 2015, Para. 3). This is a total of 45.1 million adults in America suffering with mental health disorders (samhsa.gov, 2015, Para. 3). There are also currently 20.8 million adults in America who suffer from substance use disorder ever year (NAMI.org, 2015). Both of these are alarming statistics of the wellbeing of the American citizens. To make matters worse, these two groups intertwine to a population of people known with a co-occurrence of mental illness and substance use or, more commonly known as, dual diagnosis.

Anyone can develop a mental illness at any given time in their life. Mental illness does not have a set onset date and time or an expiration date.  African Americans encounter more severe forms of mental illness due to lack of resources and barriers. According to the American Psychiatric Association, mental health disorders are common in the United States. Every year, about 45 million people suffer from at least one diagnosed mental disorder. However, African American adults are 20 percent more likely to experience serious psychological distress than any other ethnicity. Common mental illnesses among African Americans include suicide, especially in Black men, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),

Racial bias continues to be an issue when dealing with individuals who suffers from mental illness, especially African Americans, Hispanics and Native American. This is mainly due to majority of licensed human service professionals being Caucasian. Some human service professional will probably deny having partialities toward mental illness due to their race, color,

The topic of mental illness had become a recurring theme in my life during 2015. Health and wellness of the mind was a topic never brought up in my household during my childhood and well into my adolescence. My father always reminded me “Ashley, were black. We don't get depressed or anxious, we just face our problems head on because we’re naturally strong people.” Constantly hearing this gave me the false notion that mental

Utilizing over 2800 study subjects in four different regions throughout the country the sample showed significant racial disparities (Kim et al., 2013). This research article supported an adequate sample size. Logistic regression analyses drawn from “Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES)” were analyzed to support the data. The research was conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Andersen’s behavioral model of health service utilization was employed in the present study as the theoretical framework. Many

Mental health disorders remain continually disregarded in minority communities. Even more so, a few minority individuals report symptoms of mood disorders that are under-diagnosed as a result of cultural differences. (“Health Care Reform”, 2014.). This insufficiency in accurate mental health care diagnoses establishes a need to eradicate the differences in health care when it comes to treating minorities, as each group report different symptoms. Furthermore, these minority groups tend to be excluded from mainstream research as a result of lack of formal health care, including underreported visits to mental health facilities. Additionally, now there are more significant amounts of research,

Brown, T. N., Donato, K. M., Laske, M. T., & Duncan, E. M. (2012). Race, Nativity, Ethnicity, and Cultural Influences in the Sociology of Mental Health. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health, 255-276.

The topic of discussion will be primarily on mentally ill offenders; however, I would like to first discuss the ineffectiveness in mental health treatment on the population as a whole based on an individual’s race, class and gender. Mental disorders are very common in the United States. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 26.2 percent of Americans, ages 18 and older, suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. This is about one in four adults; this figure translates to 57.7 million people. These numbers are high, and research has suggested that less than one-half of people who suffer from a serious mental disorder receive treatment (Sebelius, Frieden & Sondik, 2010). This is a concern because having stable mental health is important for daily life. It is the foundation for positive contributions to family, community, and society. It is very easy to write off the importance of mental health until problems surface. Mental disorders can be a disabling condition and are experienced by one in five Americans (Sebelius, Frieden & Sondik, 2010). People with mental disorders should receive proper access to treatment because it is essential to their overall health and wellbeing. It is important to take a look at what major factors are linked to mental disorders and the various treatment methods that can be accessed. Furthermore, I will discuss the inequalities in access to treatment faced by people who suffer from mental

The perception of mental illness within the cultural dynamics may affect the diagnosis, treatment, and reintegration of an individual with schizophrenia. As culture influences the ways individuals communicate and manifest symptoms of mental illness, style of coping, support system, and willingness to seek treatment may be affected as well. Immigrant groups in Western Europe have markedly increased rates of schizophrenia. The highest rates are found in ethnic groups that are predominantly black. Separating minority race/ethnicity from immigration in Western Europe is difficult; in the US, these issues can be examined separately. Here we compared rates of schizophrenia between whites and African Americans and evaluated whether the association was mediated by socioeconomic status (SES) of family of origin in a US birth cohort.