Health Promotion of Hispanics and Latinos Suffering with Mental Health Disparities Kalie Galbreath Chamberlain College of Nursing NR-222-0 Health and Wellness K. Barton Summer Session: July 2017 According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), without mental health we cannot be healthy and these biological imbalances, causing our mental health issues, can severely impact our daily lives when we do not receive proper treatment. (Wong, A., 2015). The United States is incredibly diverse in its ethnicities however, the largest and fastest growing minority in the U.S. are Latinos. Latinos roughly make up fifteen percent of the U.S. population as of 2014 (American Psychiatric Association, 2014) and by 2050 ethnic …show more content…
population this decade by forty-three percent (SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2012). Hispanics and Latinos make up about fifteen percent of the U.S. population and are the largest minority group but their access to care is not understood or not accessed resulting in mental health disparities. Hispanics are less likely to seek and receive treatment but are more likely to need treatment (SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2012). This is unfortunate and calls for much concerns from national and local healthcare and community standpoints. There have also been several studies that find “bilingual patients are evaluated differently when interviewed in English as opposed to Spanish (American Psychiatric Association, 2014). This causes the Hispanics and Latinos to go on not being treated properly for a condition they may have. Since there are differences in the cultural norms for Hispanics and Latinos they are often misdiagnosed and if not educated on mental health, they will miss the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders themselves. It is important to improve the efforts of educating the Hispanic and Latino communities on mental health to avoid these disparities going forward. Together, to not only protect Hispanics and Latinos now, but to aid and avoid more persistent or severe mental health issues developing over …show more content…
Without improvement it is difficult to be aligned with the Healthy People 2020 overarching goals for health promotion. As a nation to come together to promote the wellbeing of each other and change current stigmas and issues is ideal and inspiring. Together we must strive for improvement for all to live wholly in harmony to promote and maintain between physical, mental and spiritual health. References About Healthy People. (n.d.). Retrieved August 4, 2017, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/About-Healthy-People Acosta, H., MA, MSW, LSW. (2008, March). Do's and Don'ts When Working with Hispanics in Mental Health. Retrieved August 4, 2017, from http://www.nrchmh.org/attachments/DoAndDont.pdf American Psychiatric Association. (2014). APA Fact Sheet: Mental Health Disparities: Hispanics/ Latinos. Retrieved August 4, 2017, from https://www.centerforaddictionrecovery.com/addiction-news/Fact-Sheet---Latinos.pdf SAMHSA, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. (2012, October 25). Need for and Receipt of Substance Use Treatment among Hispanics. Retrieved August 04, 2017, from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH117/NSDUH117/NSDUHSR117HispanicTreatmentNeeds2012.htm Wong, A. (2015). NAMI. Retrieved August 04, 2017, from
With the growing population of minorities in the United States, it is reasonable to believe that at some point in a counselor or therapist career, there will be a session with a Latino/Hispanic client. From a cultural competence perspective, it is imperative that a counselor understands the Latino/Hispanic culture and their worldviews. Counseling Latinos offer to be discussed in the paper is the case of an Alberto and Angela a Mexican American couple married for 27 years. Alberto has recently lost his job. (
All minority groups experience discrimination which leads to increased levels of stress in those individuals. As the level of stress goes up, so does the risk for several health complications including those related to mental health. Wells, Klap, Koike, and Sherbourne (2001) conducted a study examining the disparities in mental health care among black, Hispanic, and white Americans. Of those Hispanics in the study (n=617), 16.6% of them had a probable mental disorder compared to 13.4% of whites (n=7,299). Hispanics also had a higher incidence of substance abuse problems with 9% of those surveyed meeting criteria compared to 7.6% of whites. Hispanics also had the least reported perceived need for treatment with 10.4% for mental health and only 1.3% for substance abuse. A clinician treating Antonio should keep in mind that he has a higher likelihood of having a mental illness or substance use disorder than a white client as well as the fact that if he does meet the criteria for either, that he probably does not believe he needs
The Latino community is considered the largest demographic minority in the United States and is expect to increase by approximately 15% in 2050 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2002). The Latino population is comprised of many subgroups from many different regions that have developed unique beliefs, norms, and sociopolitical experiences. Although the term Latino is used throughout this paper, it is important to underscore the great diversity found within the Latino community to avoid the development and perpetuation of stereotypes. In clinical practice, it is important to evaluate the individual in terms of their racial identity, acculturation, and socioeconomic status among other factors to create a more individualized and effective treatment
Across the world’s population, mental health has recently become a problem in today’s society. This is especially the case in the Latino/a community. Some of the most commonly identified issues affecting the Latino community are, depression, chemical and substance use, domestic violence, and suicide. On the same note, teenaged Latina high school women have high rates of suicide attempts. This has become a quickly rising issue due to many Latino individuals not seeking help from programs or services that are available for many reasons. One of the main reasons that many individuals not getting assistance, is due to the lack of health insurance.
Part I: What I Know and What I Want to Know 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 health treatment. But why is it that Latinos are so reluctant to receive help?
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.
Rogler, L. H., D. E. Cortes, et al. (1991). "Acculturation and mental health status among Hispanics. Convergence and new directions for research." Am Psychol 46(6): 585-597.
Mental health disparities, “the power imbalances that impact practices influencing access, quality, and outcomes of behavioral health care, or a significant disparity in the overall rate of disease incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, or survival rate in a specific group of people defined along racial and ethnic lines, as compared with the general population” (Safran, 2011). Although there are many mental health care dipartites, I’m going to focus on the impact of poverty and lack of attention given to mental health. By advocating for a prevention, promotion, and intervention related to mental health, will aid in minimizing mental health disparities. Not only is it important to advocate on a macro level, but it is important to educate
It is apparent to everyone living in the United States, that we are the most diverse country in the world. Everywhere we go, we encounter people of different backgrounds. However, it is also apparent that one race in particular is seen more than others. One of the fastest growing races in the United States in today’s day and age is the Hispanic one. Research has shown that Hispanics are among the fastest growing cultures in our country.
Mental health care disparities can be rooted in inequalities in access to good providers, differences in insurance coverage, or discrimination by health professionals in the clinical encounter (McGuire & Miranda, 2008). Surely, those who are affected by these disparities are minorities Blacks and Latinos compare to Whites. Due to higher rates of poverty and poor health among United States minorities compared with whites. Moreover, the fact that poverty and poor health are
Mental illness is an addition to all of the previously listed perceived disadvantages of Native Americans by those of other ethnicities. Many believe that Native Americans are at a higher risk for mental illness than those of European descent. Many also believe that Native Americans have more people suffer from depression than their white counterparts (Stark & Wilkins, American Indian Politics and the American Political System, 2011). There have been studies conducted to test whether or not this is the case, with mixed results. Some studies say that Natives are at a higher risk and others say they are not. This discrepancy makes the answer unclear. If Natives are actually at a higher risk for and have more people suffering from depression than individuals of European descent, the question to ask is, “why?” Several factors play into depression and other mental illness, including biology, social standing, history, family, and any preexisting/comorbid diseases that could contribute to or cause depression.
Health promotion strategies and stigma issues can also be addressed in a culturally competent way. Since mental health services may be unknown to immigrants, there needs to be clarification about what the services are and how they can improve an individual’s health (Kirmayer et al., n.d., as cited in Thomson et al., 2015). Socioeconomic issues can also accompany immigration and lead to added stress on new residents. There is a need for mental
According to Kramer (2002), Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial group in the United States; growing from fewer than 1 million in 1960 to 7.2 million in 1990. But despite this ongoing rapid progression, Asian Americans have the lowest rate of utilization of any professional mental health related services than the general United States population (Tung 2011). To increase the utilization of mental health services among the Asian American community, the most hindering barriers that exist preventing Asian Americans in general from seeking out these services must be identified and explored. In spite of the fact that Asian Americans are viewed as the “model minority”, with high academic achievements and few mental/behavioral problems, studies
Healthy People 2020 is a program for the promotion of health and the prevention of diseases, launched by the Department of Health and Human Services in December 2010. According to healthypeople.gov, this program has four overarching goals which are first to achieve healthy, longer lives free of preventable diseases, injuries, and premature deaths; to achieve health fairness, eliminate differences, and improve all groups’ health; also to produce social and physical environments that encourage good health; and last but not least to promote life’s quality, healthy development, and healthy behaviors through all life stages. This program has a vision of a community where people live long, healthy lives. Healthy People 2020 offers a comprehensive set of 10 years of nationwide goals and objectives that is meant to improve the health of the American population. Healthy People 2020 covers 42 topic areas with approximately 600 objectives, which include 1,200 measures. A smaller set of Healthy People 2020 objectives, has been designated to communicate high-priority health issues and actions that can be taken to address them, this objectives are called Leading Health Indicators. The program goes above and beyond these health indicators in order to provide the best care for the people of this country. These indictors cover from the access of health service, nutrition, physical activity, and obesity to substance abuse, environmental quality, injury and violence.
My specific task for the practicum was to develop a mental health component for Project RICE. I carried out my assignments under the supervision of a faculty member; Dr. Smith. Dr. Smith is a Professor of Applied Psychology. Dr. Smith conducts research on the impact of immigration, community contexts, individual differences, and racial minority status on the mental health of individuals and families.