I'm part of the largest ethnic minority group in the United States. By 2050, Latinos will account for 25% of the U.S. population. These rising numbers keeps most politicians scratching their heads on how to handle immigration issues wishing there was an easy way out for them of course; how to please the masses from deep-rooted discrimination within our communities on their speeches in order to gain followers. Others don't even care of throwing damaging lies fueling the violent media machine of prejudice against foreigners whose desire is to reside in this country. This invisible preconception preludes the common many Latinos feel offended by; the feisty Latina, loud, spicy, with strong family values, and the ones who do the job a gringo doesn't want to take. I've become to embrace the funny side of many of them. I feel proud of the traditions, ethics, language, and strong values which contribute to form …show more content…
a strong sense of community and culture. I hold onto these values tightly because I want to make a difference within the Hispanic community; studies have found that between 40-60% of Latinos have limited English proficiency. Since my arrival to the free world, one of my visions was to work and help many of the Latinos who suffer from stigma and discrimination. Labels don't offend me, but they're the antithesis of the vast Hispanic culture. This vision of mine has widened in the last 2 years, most specifically, in the mental health field. In part because of my personal experience with mental illness and the consequence stigma from my own family and friends. I do not blame them at all, it's part of poor communication and those typical stereotypes I mentioned before. However, it is important to understand the prevalence of depression in the Latino community. I was raised in the value of self-reliance. It started early in childhood, living with an alcoholic father meant to live in constant vigilance. My older sister took charge of the house when my mother had to leave for work, in my heart I know mother did everything she could to preserve us in a safe environment, but it was not possible. We endured many years of domestic violence, my father, and two drug addict uncles. I couldn't understand why it was happening; I'd ask my grandmother why God had punished us this way. Especially her, living with a sense of hopelessness because she didn't know what to do with my uncles, both of them schizophrenics. It is sad to say they never fully recovered from drug use. When I reflect on those painful memories, I also come to an agreement of the lack of resources my family had. Sure my uncles received psychiatric assistance in Honduras many times, but the lack of staff, medicine, and support groups made it almost impossible to appreciate any type of recovery. Even today, Latin American countries do not have the necessary mental health resources available, leaving people in the abyss of depression. Once I moved to the U.S. this sense of self-reliance grew stronger. I had to think fast, learn the language, find a job, etc...It was hard. I was depressed, but I couldn't talk about it with my mother; I didn't want to be a burden. The obstacle of the language barrier have such an effect on getting diagnosis and treatment, it took me years to find the help I needed. Many don't realize the effect language has on an individual coming from a different country, a different culture. This culture shock remains on someone becoming more withdrawn and not able to express emotions let alone describing mental illness symptoms. The concept of suffering from mental illness within the Latino community can have devastating consequences. My family is extremely religious, meaning their views about depression rely on letting the shame of sin; "demons" take residence inside the mind, the soul, and your will. "Stephanie you are depressed because you won't attend church on Sundays" "All you need to do is pray" "You need to break free from the curse of your uncles in our family" I remember back in 1997, when my mother took all our cd's to the trash can, she'd monitored what we watch on T.V. and had friends coming over for "spiritual liberation." I was more prone to have dissociative-type experiences, hallucinations; thinking God was talking to me. There is a big contrast between cultural experiences and personality disorders.
For most Latinos, psychiatric illness is due to stress and acculturation, rather than chemical imbalances in the brain. The use of medication heightens the stigma among Latinos; I battled for years for taking the decision of giving my son medication for ADHD. My family thought I'd took the easy way out. There is a say "No se lava la ropa en casa ajena" (One must not wash their dirty clothes in someone else's home). Problems are handled within the family and it shouldn't be discussed outside the home. In general, Immigration statuses play a strong influence on Latino mental health. A high percent of Hispanics do not have insurance, and also the lack of Spanish speaking mental health staff makes it difficult to monitor any effectiveness in treatment. The Hispanic community is taking gigantic steps within the political realm amid harsh criticism, unveiling the destructive label of anti-immigration laws and taking measures of creating sensitive mental health services for Latino
immigrants.
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
A question that every high school student is faced with is: “What extracurricular activities so you participate in?” Some can answer confidently while others are slapped with a moment of sudden realization. These people are just floating along with the crowd, with no driving force or motivation. What I believe differentiates me from my peers and gives me a sense of uniqueness, is what I do outside of my academia. Out of the deluge of activities that are available, Latinos In Action is the one that I feel the most passionate about and shapes my persona the most.
When someone say’s “hispanic,” what definition comes to mind? Hispanics are not one nationality, nor one culture. Instead, Hispanics are greatly diverse people. Our language and cultural origins are Spanish and Latin American, regardless of race and color. Hispanics can be European, Indian, or of African descent, or any combination of the three. The culture could be linked to Mexico, the Caribbean countries, Central America, South America and Spain. Hispanics were once considered a rarity in the United States, now we are found throughout the country.
As the Latino population in the United States continues to grow, U.S. Census Bureau, 2001, increasing attention is being turned toward understanding the risk and protective factors of immigrant Latino and U.S.-born Latino children and families. The demographic data relating to Latinos in the United States estimate that one of every two people added to the U.S population was Latino, in July 2009 Latino population was the fastest growing minority group U.S Census Bureau, 2010. Despite the increased risk of growing the immigrant families are in lower risk of Social Economic Status, having parents with less education and limited with language and knowledge about education. Immigrating to one place to another is often the most stressful event
The increase and changing demography in the United State today, with the disparities in the health status of people from different cultural backgrounds has been a challenge for health care professionals to consider cultural diversity as a priority. It is impossible for nurses and other healthcare professionals to learn and understand theses diversity in culture, but using other approaches like an interpreter is very helpful for both nurses and patients. In this paper of a culturally appropriate care planning, I will be discussing on the Hispanic American culture because, I had come across a lot of them in my career as a nurse. The Hispanic are very diverse in terms of communication and communities and include countries like Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, South and Central America, and some of them speak and write English very well, some speaks but can’t write while some can’t communicate in English at all but Spanish.
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
Again we would see the celebration of Dia De Los Muertos. In the 1970s, Self Help helped encourage the art that participated. It helped bring to community together and create large ensemble of art, parades, and festivals revolving around in the Chicano community.
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 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
The Sanchez family are riddled with a unique set of problems for a social worker to intervene and provide assistance. Being a family that immigrated to the United States, they are managing many problems within the family that is ranging from disability, substance abuse, and immigration. This paper is a case analysis of each particular family member in the Sanchez family. Each family member will be analyzed and issues will be prioritized. Also, an intervention or a clinical resolution will be introduced to the best of the writer’s knowledge. Lastly, this writer will reflect on herself to determine her level of empathy and sympathy towards each family in the Sanchez family. Each family member is presenting individual problems and indicators that there is an underlying issue that needs intervention.
Latinos have struggled to discover their place inside of a white America for too many years. Past stereotypes and across racism they have fought to belong. Still America is unwilling to open her arms to them. Instead she demands assimilation. With her pot full of stew she asks, "What flavor will you add to this brew?" Some question, some rebel, and others climb in. I argue that it is not the Latino who willingly agreed to partake in this stew. It is America who forced her ideals upon them through mass media and stale history. However her effort has failed, for they have refused to melt.
Interpersonal and social correlates are important to study in Latino women in order to gauge their depression levels. Latina women report being more sensitive in their interpersonal sectors than
The National Council of La Raza is the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. They work to advocate for the Hispanic community and other subgroups in the U.S. by creating opportunities and making the American Dream attainable for minorities. The organization was founded by Herman Gallegos, Julian Samora, and Ernesto Galarza in 1968 under the name of the Southwest Council of La Raza. When the organization was originally founded, its purpose was to unite Hispanics and provide assistance and organizational structure to Mexican-American families. In 1973 the Southwest Council of La Raza became a national organization, moved its headquarters from Arizona to Washington D.C., and changed the organization's
Latinos face a lot of discrimination when they come to the united stated or they try to assimilate to the American culture. Most immigrants have to deal with the police investigating them because they think they are all drug dealers or are in some type of illegal organization. They also have to deal with people calling them names because of their skin color. Americans also accuse Hispanics of stealing their jobs (Ramos, 53). They also face seeing racist graffiti on homes or wall of a building and they have to face hate crimes (Plunkett, 15). They sometimes get excluded from white communities (Plunkett, 39). Latinos are also blamed for serious problems the country faces (Ramos, 195). There are reasons for Americans to discriminate Latinos and reasons why they shouldn’t discriminate them.
Growing up in a Hispanic community, I realized that many of my friends believed college was not for them. It was not until my first year at Oregon State University when I joined Adelante, a one-term program aimed at empowering the Latino community, that I was able to fully grasp the significance of this belief. Recognizing this issue, I understood that I had a responsibility to act and encourage other families, in particular Hispanic families, to think about postsecondary education. I became the co-president of Adelante and together we grew it into an official Student Sponsored Organization. Adelante continues to provide the same program I went through, but now along with another organization named Juntos, brings awareness and information on