African American Mental Health Essay

Abstract
Studies have analyzed how African Americans deal with an enormous amount of disease, injury, death, and disability compared to other ethnic group, and whites, Utilization of health services by African Americans is less frequent than other ethnic groups in the country. This non utilization of services contributes to health disparities amongst African Americans in the United States. Current and past studies have shown that because of discrimination, medical mistrust, racial/ethnic background, and poor communication African Americans tend to not seek medical care unless they are in dire need or forced to seek professional care. African Americans would rather self –medicate than to trust a doctor who might show some type of discriminatory

attitude toward treating African Americans.

Keywords: Cultural mistrust, Discrimination, Health disparities, mental health professionals, African American males
Disparities in Healthcare for Young African American Males
Typically in a minority community you will find that health care is last on the list of things to care about verses, housing, food, and employment. The bare necessities. Most African American men have been breed or taught to tough it out because they can’t spare the money to see a doctor. When you have to choose health or livelihood you can see why it goes on the back burner unless they are on their deathbed. When young African American males grow up and leave the bosom of their parents who might have had public or private insurance, and all of a sudden it is discontinued. It can leave them to wondering what comes next. This type of situation in a young African American male’s life can be a catastrophic event for them and other individuals in their situation. It just seems that the African American community suffers more often than not compared to white men or non-Hispanic men.
Statistical Analysis
Statistically young African American males can expect to live the lease amount of time when compared to any other ethnic minority group. Research studies have shown the expectant life span for African American males is 75 on average and 80 for White men when this is compared to Black Women and White women. This has been linked to studies that show African American men tend to not obtain regular preventative health care services. With that in mind serious health issues can go unnoticed or be ignored (Watson 2014). Research also indicates that approximately 65-70% of African American males that have been housed in juvenile detention centers typically suffer from mental health issues that relate to anxiety, feelings of hopelessness, depression and suicidal tendencies (Samuel 2015).
Healthcare
Disparities in health and health care have been around for more than two centuries. Evidence suggest that health disparities in ethnic and racial minorities continue to be problematic, with little progress made to eliminate them over time. There are many reasons for the disparities depicted in poor deprived neighborhoods, these inequalities can range from socioeconomic status, unhealthy health behaviors, inadequate transportation, and the geographical location of providers in the area along with the extremely high cost of services. When all these factors are put into play, you will have unequal burdens in health care towards African American males and minorities. These factors can contribute to the high morbidity and mortality rates associated with impoverished minority communities (Baldwin 2003). Physicians typically blamed African Americans and ethnic groups for their poor health by the way they lived this gave precedence for physicians to not be responsible since they considered it to be a “Negro’s own demise”. Once again this separated and made unequal African Americans from Whites in health care facilities.
Barriers.
Money is and always will be the number one deciding factor when it comes to determining where to spend the money. African American male’s logic is if you don’t have money, welfare, or insurance it is very simple you don’t go to the doctor or the hospital. They also tell themselves I quote “I betta not get sick” (Watson 2014). This is a natural phrase known in the minority communities. Basically the theme is when they get the money they have a thousand different things that require money, which is more important than going to the doctor or hospital and adding another bill to the mix. This is unfortunate, and that’s why there is enormous disparities in health relating to precisely young African American males.
Research has also shown that the community and environmental conditions that African American males live in or face commonly can cause barriers, or obstacles when it comes to health care. Lest examine some of the well- known barriers: Mass addictions, Alcohol abuse, Nicotine, Poor eating habits, Unhealthy living conditions (living conditions healthier in prison), Negative and destructive peer pressure, Self-defeating community and family norms.
Systemic Institutional Discrimination.
African American male’s distrust of medical practices can be associated with race history resulting from accessing health care as a last resort. It is common in the African American community to feel belittled and be mistreated at doctor’s offices more often than white people. Sometimes it is at the hands of our own people. For some reason when they see us coming into the doctor’s office or hospital they have a problem. There is a stigmatism amongst the African American community that doctors don’t care about us they just there to get a paycheck and forgiveness for their student loans. Once their time is up they surely will head back to their communities. It’s very rare that a doctor will stay after they have completed their tenure. Also when it comes to foreign doctors there are three barriers one you can’t understand them, two they really don’t care about us (Blacks), and the third can they really be trusted to know what they are doing. The assumption is that minorities, specifically African Americans don’t trust doctors and hospitals because all they want to do is perform test on us, or use us as guinea pigs for research. Reference the Tuskegee Syphilis Institute. (Watson, 2014)
Mental Health.
As I mentioned above statistically young African American males suffer from mental health issues that are not treated before being released from juvenile detention.

Unfortunately, when released from the detention centers these same individuals are untreated and rarely seek mental health treatments when released into the community, they also tend to display diminished cognitive reasoning and readjustment difficulties amongst their family, peers, and the community (Samuel, 2015). Since, most young black males are often categorized to be aggressive and disorderly they are often misdiagnosed, and likely to receive evasive services, placements and diagnoses of having and mental health issue. Because of this factor mistrust has been recognized as a major obstacle to the utilization of specialty mental health services among racial and ethnic minority populations. Cultural mistrust is explained by African Americans, as the constant mistreatment related to being Black or part of an ethnic group, that Whites cannot be trusted. Mental health doctors have a great challenge when it comes to reassuring young Black males to seek professional help for their suppressed mental health issues. There are three barriers that mental health doctors face: getting the Black male into counseling or mental health treatment, engaging them in the therapeutic process, and keeping them engaged long enough to achieve therapeutic goals. Trust of the mental health professional who will more than likely be white will definitely be the most vital factor to accomplishing each of these objectives (McCoy, Munson, Snowden & McMillen,

2011).

Conclusion and Further Study
The barriers and obstacles in healthcare amongst young African American males is not a myth, it is a true trusted fact that our society tends to turn a blind eye to. These barriers will not be changed overnight, or in the near future as long as discrimination, systematic institutional racism, and unhealthy living conditions will persist. We as a society need to address diversity in our corporate board rooms, hospitals, clinics, and the political policy makers head on when it comes to unequal treatment of individuals based on their gender, race, ethnicity and class. This can be addressed by using pluralism to recognize all human beings in all facets life, no matter their social status, gender, or ethnicity. Until these diversities are addressed the minority communities will always have barriers to overcome as it relates to sufficient and equal health care.
References
Baldwin, D. M. (2003). DISPARITIES IN HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE: FOCUSING EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE UNEQUAL BURDENS. Online Journal Of Issues in Nursing, 2003, 8(1), 113-122. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.ccis.edu
Samuel, I. A. (2015). Utilization of Mental Health Services Among African-American Male Adolescents Released from Juvenile Detention: Examining Reasons for Within-Group Disparities in Help-Seeking Behaviors. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 32(1), 33-43. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10560-014-0357-1
Scott, L. l., McCoy, H., Munson, M., Snowden, L., & McMillen, J. (2011). Cultural Mistrust of Mental Health Professionals Among Black Males Transitioning from Foster Care. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 20(5), 605-613. Retrieved from: http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.ccis.edu
Watson, J. (2014). Young African American Males: Barriers to Access to Health Care. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 24(8), 1004-1009. doi:10.1080/10911359.2014.953416. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.ccis.edu