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Lack of understanding mental illness in the african american community
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Mental health in african americans essays
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In Pollack's book, she points out the racial disparity in being classified as an offender qualifying for mental health assistance. Pollack notes that white people are more likely classified as mentally ill, whereas institutions view potential mental health issues as behavioral problems in minorities. In the section on biological causes in van Wormer's book,
Jebera is African American giving his a 7.5% chance of having any disorder in his lifetime according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In comparison, White have a 10.4% chance and Mexican Americans an 8% chance . This makes African Americans and, therefore, Jebera the least likely of the group to have a mental disorder. More specifically, African Americans have a 10.4-12% lifetime prevalence rate of depression. Again, both White and Hispanic individuals scored higher with White’s at l6.8-17.6% and Hispanic at ll.6-13.7% .
Every Resident Advisor (RA) answers the on-call phone with a bit of apprehension, but when the caller tells you that they are concerned that their friend may hurt herself physically, all your nerves stand on edge. It was this experience and others like it that reaffirmed my decision to pursue a career in the Healthcare field with a specific interest in mental health. My life’s journey began on a small multiracial island where we believed and practiced “every creed and race find an equal place,” these words taken from our country’s national anthem. In our multicultural society, religion played a large role in influencing the societal norms and practices which were of a conservative nature.
Since COVID 19 in 2020 the rise of mental illness Among the African American community has increase over time. People had to make drastic changes in their everyday life Most be lost jobs, family members, and financial stability. Making sudden change can increase one’s stress level, which can affect an individual’s health, social skills, spirituality, and finance. This topic interest me be I person was affect by COVID 19 in 2020. I notice that my stress level had increased my health problems and much more.
Reasons why some of these disparities exist is because of the lack of acceptance, and mental illness stigma can allow for health disparities to exist within our population. Mood disorders still exist for a variety of reasons like biologically, environments and social influences. Disparities exists with some of these disorders like anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc. because there is still a stigma associated with having one or more of these disorders. People with any form of a mood disorder may not seek help because the book mentions that they often have “feelings of shame guilt, loss of self-esteem, and a sense of isolation and hopelessness”.
Black people were not brought up or taught about Mental illness. In an interview on the breakfast club MK Assante said “ mental illness and depression is not something we talk about enough.” When someone acts out in way where they might be suffering from a mental disability we just call them “Crazy” or tell them to “Get it together”. Mental illness is Something not every black person understands because when we misbehave like get into fights or do drugs or participate in other unlawful acts we get called criminals and get sent to jail. No one ever stops to get a black person psychologically evaluated to see if there battling any type of disorder because of the stereotype that black people are naturally prone to doing bad stuff or black people always commit crimes because of the community they live in.
Brief statement of the problem Hispanic and Latino populations are not being provided with adequate mental health care and are an underserved population (Peters, Sawyer, & Guzman, 2014). There are several barriers, cultural and other, that prevent and dissuade Hispanic and Latino individuals from seeking mental health care (The Pew Charitable Trusts, 2015). Lack of bi-lingual providers is one of the many obstacles this population is faced with. Details of the problem A large minority population: • According to the U.S. 2010 Census, 16% of the total population was of Hispanic or Latino decent.
Between the years of 1800 and 1900, the North American social and political landscape changed by the presence of so many African people, who brought with them several centuries of civilization. Africanized America in terms of medicine. In this paper, I will be exploring the influence of Africans on the American traditions of medicine. Africans, and their descendants, contributed to the richness and fullness of American culture from its beginnings. Their contributions in early America, for which they have received little or no credit, include the development of vaccines (including vaccination for smallpox), cures for snake bites, birthing procedures, introduction of therapy, and cure for vaginal fistula, foundation of face surgery and introduction
In the Latino community, there is a large dismissal of mental illnesses. Often times, Latinos are forced to suppress the symptoms of their mental illness, due to the stigma that surrounds it. Mental illnesses are swept
Mental health is recognized as a principal determinant of individual well-being and family relationships in today’s society. Most psychiatric disorders begin in childhood or adolescence, increasing the risk for poor physical health, problems in social relationships, reduced psychological well-being, and financial difficulties. There have been studies to suggest that, across the life course, mental disorder prevalence varies significantly according to race and ethnicity. In a study conducted by (Barrett, D. and Katsiyannis, A) the authors used a sample from the S. Carolina Juvenile Justice Agency to examine the question of race differences in repeat offenders.
And if all the previous hiccups were not of enough influence, adding shame and social unacceptance may just entirely put depression treatment at a halt. IV. Mental illnesses can be belittled or simply overlooked in most societies but when additional factors such as the ones mentioned above are present, the effects are culturally significant. Even though Education regarding mental health is increasing among Hispanic population, the vast unawareness is still a health concern in our society. V. Online Journal Articles Alegría, M., Mulvaney-Day, N., Torres, M., Polo, A., Cao, Z., & Canino, G. (2007).
Mental Health is a tough topic to talk about but for the African American Community; the concept of mental illness or overall mental health is swept up under the rug. The African American community is not informed and misunderstands mental health and illnesses, but why? In other communities of people mental health and all of its aspects are accepted but for my community of people it's something that is not openly discussed and looked down upon. According to mentalhealth.gov, “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.
In recent times, the subject of health disparities has attracted a lot of attention through the media report in both local and national level.in this essay, the health condition of African American will be discussed in this in the following areas as their health status, barriers to health, diverse population and disparities, and health promotion approach to improving this situation. Health Status: According to the 2014 National Health Interview Survey, 13.5% of all African Americans have less than average health (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014a). Averagely, the African-American have higher prevalence of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension compared to the national ratio. Further study reveals that 48
The ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures is cultural competence. “Culture” is a term that goes beyond just race or ethnicity. It can also refer to such characteristics as …disability, religion, income level, education, or profession (SAMHSA.gov, 2016).” Competency is defined as the capacity to function effectively (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). I could trace my cultural heritage back to Africa.
Despite the progress in understanding the causes of mental illness and the tremendous advances in finding effective mental health treatments, far less is known about the mental health of minorities. Race, ethnicity, culture, language, geographic region, and other social factors affect the perception, availability, utilization, and, potentially, the outcomes of mental health services. Across racial and ethnic groups, a significant financial barrier also greatly affects mental health and the path to getting needed mental health care. Every society influences mental health treatment by how it organizes, delivers, and pays for mental health services. Therefore the provision of high quality, culturally and language appropriate mental health services, in locations accessible to racial and ethnic minorities, is essential to creating a more equitable
