In the article, Geriatric Mental Health Clinicians’ Perceptions of Barriers and Contributors to Retention of Older Minorities in Treatment: An Exploratory Study, the investigators Choi and Gonzalez (2005) use focus groups and individual interviews to uncover geriatric mental health clinician’s observations of the issues that hinder senior Hispanic and African- American clients with diagnosed mood and anxiety disorder from completing treatment. This analysis also provides recommendations for increasing the retention of older ethnic minorities in the therapeutic progression. The title of the article is very reflective of the contents discussed in the manuscript and easy for the reader to comprehend. However, one who is not familiar with psychological …show more content…
Since this was an exploratory study design, there was very little previous research done focusing on the treatment of this demographic It seems as if the literature review portion of the report was included in the introductory section, this format could be potentially confusing for the reader. Choi and Gonzalez (2005) build a strong foundation for the necessity of research focusing on older minority clients’ retention and further education for individuals and their families. They also discover that geriatric mental health issues not only impact the individual, but also the mental health their families and care givers. The manuscript dedicates about five pages to familiarize the reader with the historical, cultural and physical boundaries that impact geriatric patients. It encompasses the absence of older minorities in treatment, existing research on barriers to access and retention, and cultural influences that hinder client’s retention. Although the supporting literature only backs a one-sided view point, all articles were relevant to the purpose of the current research and were based on current research. This format of this section was an organized flow of information, making the material easy for the reader to …show more content…
Since this was an exploratory study, the researchers were aiming to discover factors that hinder senior ethnic-minorities from completing treatment for anxiety and mood disorders. Results were translated into text and table format, and examples of clinicians transcribed responses to were provided to give the reader examples of the assessed material. Choi and Gonzalez (2005) discovered eight factors mental health practitioners observed with their geriatric clientele. The primary influence of a client primarily exiting psychological treatment found was a medical condition that left the patient immobile or hospitalized. Other factors were lack of motivation, mistrust or discomfort with therapy, and expectation of short-term treatment process. This research also discovered strategies mental health clinicians utilized to contributed to the successful retention and treatment of older minority clients. Education clients, their families, and the overall population on mental illness and avenues of treatment have been suggested to increase participation and retention in the therapeutic process. The results section of this article presented the significance of a client receiving therapy in ones’ primary language, this finding shows the need for bi/lingual and culturally competent mental health providers. I thought it
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
Many Latinos do not seek treatment because they don't recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health conditions or know where to find help. This is an important aspect of this issue since it is impossible to know if there is a problem with ourselves if they’re not talked about to us. In turn, this increases the stigma associated with mental health issues and worry that they will be seen as weak, crazy or shameful. Even simply spreading the basic information about the common conditions, will help convince people that it is normal to be born with, or develop these
Raytheon Company v. Hernandez, 540 U.S. 44; No. 02749. Argued October 8, 2003Decided December 2, 2003 on Disparate Treatment. We can define, Disparate Impact happens "when people are treated differently, with respect to the terms and conditions of employment because of their race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age or mental or physical disability."
Cuéllar, I., & Paniagua, F. A. (2000). Handbook of Multicultural Mental Health : Assessment and Treatment of Diverse Populations. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Counselors today face the task of how to appropriately counsel multicultural clients. Being sensitive to cultural variables can be conceptualized as holding a cultural lens to human behavior and making allowances for the possibility of cultural influence. However, to avoid stereotyping, it is important that the clinician recognizes the existence of within-group differences as well as the influence of the client’s own personal culture and values (Furman, Negi, Iwamoto, Shukraft, & Gragg, 2009). One’s background is not always black or white, and a counselor needs to be able to discern and adjust one’s treatment plan according to their client. One of the fastest growing populations in America is the Hispanic or Latino population.
Long-term care (LTC) covers a wide range of clinical and social services for those who need assistance due to functional limitations. These limitations usually result from complications associated with age related chronic conditions, from disabilities related to birth defects, brain damage, or mental retardation in children; or from major illnesses or injuries suffered by adults (Shi L. & Singh D.A., 2011). LTC encompasses a variety of services including traditional clinical services, social services and housing. Unlike acute care, long-term care is much more complicated and has objectives that are much harder to measure. Acute care mainly focuses on returning patients to their previous functional level and is primarily provided by specialty providers. However, LTC mainly focuses on preventing the physical and mental deterioration of an individual and promoting social adjustments to suit the different stages of decline. In addition the providers of LTC are more diverse than those in acute care and is offered in both formal and informal settings, which include: hospitals, physicians, home care, adult day care, nursing home care, assisted living and even informal caregivers such as friends and family members. Long-term care services have been dominated by community based services, which include informal care (86%, about 10 to 11 million) and formal institutional care delivered in nursing facilities (14%, 1.6 million) (McCall, 2001). Of more than the 10 million Americans estimated to require LTC services, 58% are elderly and 42% are under the age of 65 (Shi L. & Singh D.A., 2011). The users of LTC are either frail elderly or disabled and because of the specific care needs of this population, the care varies based on an indiv...
Mental healthcare has a long and murky past in the United States. In the early 1900s, patients could live in institutions for many years. The treatments and conditions were, at times, inhumane. Legislation in the 1980s and 1990s created programs to protect this vulnerable population from abuse and discrimination. In the last 20 years, mental health advocacy groups and legislators have made gains in bringing attention to the disparity between physical and mental health programs. However, diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses continues to be less than optimal. Mental health disparities continue to exist in all areas of the world.
Health care for mental illness is an issue in the African American community for Men, Women and Adolescents due to the underserving and lack of mental healthcare providers, the cultural stigma of having mental illness and the socioeconomic status of African Americans.
African Americans in general avoid counseling of any form and group counseling is no exception to the rule. There are several cultural factors that play a part in framing this rule for African Americans, but the major issues are religion and spirituality, dealing with family and personal business according to what the culture deems acceptable and prejudices both held by African Americans and their concern over the prejudices of others toward them. Unfortunately as a result of the close-minded nature of the culture to counseling and the lack of education regarding the group counseling experience and its many benefits, many African American individuals are left attempting to cope with life’s issues alone.
“In studies comparing the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in whites, African Americans, and Latinos, higher rates of depression, depressive symptoms, and diagnosed mental illness were found in Latinos (Radloff, 1977; Vernon & Roberts, 1982).” Within the Latino community, there are several risk factors leading to these mental illnesses. Some of those include socioeconomic factors, acculturation, and acculturative stress. Although this is the case, there is an underutilization of mental health services by Latinos which is of growing concern. There are several barriers that Latino’s experience when seeking counseling or therapy for mental illness. According to Sue and Sue’s Barriers to Multicultural Counseling and Therapy, effective counselors
The education system is arguably the most beneficial system in the world; however, it also contains many controversial practices. Proper funding, discrimination, and curriculum are just some of the problems in today’s education system. Everyone has a different opinion about what is best for our children and it is impossible to please everyone. As long as the educational system is in tact, then there will be confusion and debate within the system and its’ administrators. The only thing that can be done is attempting to make it so that everyone will benefit equally, but this is much more difficult than one would assume. I will focus on the aspect of discrimination on minorities within special education and more specifically the following questions: Does the special education system discriminate against minorities? If so, how? What can be done, if anything, to correct or improve this system?
People with serious socio-emotional and emotional disturbances are challenged in many aspects of life. Historically people of color with serious mental health related issues had little assistance and chances to having their needs met equally to Whites. In order to properly or adequately address the emotional and mental wellbeing of everyone on an equal basis, the stigma association must be removed from people of color.
Culture can be defined as behaviors exhibited by certain racial, religious, social or ethnic groups. Some factors in which culture may vary include: family structure, education, and socioeconomic status (Kodjo, 2009). Some may think cultural competence is something that has an end point, however, when the big picture is seen, it is a learning process and journey. From the writer’s perspective, the client-therapist relationship can be challenging. Culturally competent therapists must realize that behaviors are shaped by an individual’s culture. Many changes are taking place within the United States cultural makeup. Therapists and healthcare professionals are being challenged to provide effective and sensitive care for patients and their families. This type of culturally sensitive care requires the professional to be open and seek understanding in the patients diverse belief systems (Kodjo, 2009).
The elderly represents a large amount of the population in our society and continues to grow each day. As the population grows, it is important to meet the demands and resolve the challenges that we encounter in regards to the overall quality of health and well-being of the elderly. Mental health of the elderly is a major issue but majority of the time goes unnoticed and untreated by caregivers and loved ones. About 20 percent of adults 55 and older are suffering from some type of mental health disorder, and one in three elderly adults do not receive any type of treatment (The State of Mental Health, 2008). Those suffering from mental illness are hesitant to seek out help or any type of treatment because of the stigma, services and cost for care that then comes with mental health disorders. Mental health issues that affect elderly include dementia, delirium, and psychosis. Some of the most common conditions include anxiety, mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder and cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer’s disease. Mental health is essential to the
broad range of clients. Awareness and respect for diversity and multicultural values facilitates good communication and therapeutic relationship.