Mental Health Disparities: Diverse Populations Racial/ethnic, gender, and sexual minorities often suffer from poor mental health outcomes due to multiple factors including inaccessibility of high quality mental health care services, cultural stigma surrounding mental health care, discrimination, and overall lack of awareness about mental health.
What is the best treatment for mental health?
THE LAST 2 DECADES HAVE brought increased attention to the issue of mental health disparities (Figure 1).For example, many rural Americans have less access to mental health services than do other Americans, suicide rates vary with respect to a variety of demographic variables, and persons with the lowest level of socioeconomic status are estimated to be about 2 to 3 times …
What prevents people from seeking mental health treatment?
Oct 05, 2016 · Minorities in the United States are more likely than whites to delay or fail to seek mental health treatment. 25–27 After entering care, minority patients are less likely than Whites to receive the best available treatments for depression and anxiety. 28, 29 African Americans are more likely than Whites to terminate treatment prematurely. 30 Among adults with diagnosis …
How effective is treatment for mental health issues?
Jan 29, 2020 · Disparities in mental health are significant and easily documented. Deaths by suicide, for example, are much more common in American Indians and Alaska Natives compared to the general population. The rate of deaths by suicide is also higher in rural areas .
Can health it reduce health disparities?
Racial Disparities in Mental Health Treatment. Individuals with a mental health illness in the United States can face fragmented or unavailable services, high costs, and social stigma. It is particularly difficult for people of color to receive adequate and culturally appropriate treatment. Mental health disparity refers to a discrepancy in health, health services, and health …
What are mental disparities?
Some of the most common reasons mental health disparities exist include stigma, previous negative experiences, limited mental health literacy, lack of culturally aware providers and services, language access, and lack of financial resources.Apr 26, 2021
What are some barriers to mental health treatment?
The results revealed that the most common barriers are fear of stigmatization, lack of awareness of mental health services, sociocultural scarcity, scarcity of financial support, and lack of geographical accessibility, which limit the patients to utilize mental health services.Mar 22, 2021
What are the 5 health disparities?
Race and ethnicity.Gender.Sexual identity and orientation.Disability status or special health care needs.Geographic location (rural and urban)Feb 6, 2022
What are examples of health disparities?
Examples of Health DisparitiesMortality.Life expectancy.Burden of disease.Mental health.Uninsured/underinsured.Lack of access to care.
What factors might prevent a person from seeking mental health treatment?
What Prevents People from Seeking Mental Health Treatment?Stigma. Society still attaches stigma to mental illness. ... Lack of Awareness. Not everyone who has a mental illness is aware that they have this problem. ... Lack of Support from Loved Ones. ... Fear and Distrust. ... Money.
What are two barriers to mental health treatment in rural areas?
Barriers to Mental Health Treatment in Rural AreasDesire to Receive Care. ... Lack of Anonymity When Seeking Treatment. ... Shortages of Mental Health Workforce Professionals. ... Lack of Culturally-Competent Care. ... Affordability of Care. ... Transportation to Care. ... Resources to Learn More.Feb 12, 2019
What are health disparities?
Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations.
What contributes to health disparities?
Many factors contribute to health disparities, including genetics, access to care, poor quality of care, community features (e.g., inadequate access to healthy foods, poverty, limited personal support systems and violence), environmental conditions (e.g., poor air quality), language barriers and health behaviors.May 10, 2021
What is meant by health disparities?
Healthy People 2020 defines a health disparity as, “a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage” and notes that disparities, “adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health based on their racial ...May 11, 2021
Is mental health a health disparity?
For example, Mental Health Science Group representatives from NIH's National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) consider mental health disparity as a significant disparity in the overall rate of mental illness incidence or prevalence, morbidity, mortality or survival rates in a health disparity population as compared ...Sep 4, 2009
How are health disparities identified?
For the purpose of identifying disparities, use of age-specific and cause-specific rates, in addition to all-cause data, provides a more accurate comparison of relative health status between groups.
How do disparities affect patient care?
Health disparities lead to approximately $93 billion in excess medical care costs and $42 billion in lost productivity per year as well as economic losses due to premature deaths. For example, as of 2018, Latinx individuals are two-and-a-half times more likely to be uninsured than whites (19% vs. 7.5%).
What is mental health disparity?
Mental health care disparities , defined as unfair differences in access to or quality of care according to race and ethnicity, are quite common in mental health.1Although some studies question this consensus, 2, 3the weight of the evidence supports the existence of serious and persistent mental health care disparities.
What is IOM in healthcare?
The IOM definition is distinct from that applied by the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ) in its annual National Healthcare Disparities Reports, where anydifference between populations is a disparity, with no adjustment for underlying need for care.
What are the differences in health outcomes?
Differences in health outcomes like these can reflect a number of underlying factors, including biological factors or environmental exposures; social, economic, and cultural contexts; and access to quality health care. When these differences adversely affect disadvantaged populations, they are known as health disparities. ...
What is the National Institute of Mental Health?
Accordingly, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) supports a research agenda aimed at understanding and reducing mental health disparities.
What is the autism spectrum?
The Autism Spectrum Disorder Pediatric, Early Detection, Engagement and Services Network (ASD PEDS) is an NIMH-funded network of investigators studying a diverse array of strategies and interventions aimed at identifying and treating children with autism as early as possible.
What are the barriers to mental health?
Barriers for minorities with mental illness include: 1 Different cultural perceptions about mental illness and well-being 2 Racism and discrimination 3 Being more vulnerable to being uninsured 4 Cultural differences in help-seeking behaviors 5 Language and other communication barriers 6 Fear and mistrust of treatment
What is the National Alliance on Mental Illness?
These institutions, along with the American Psychology Association and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) have similar recommendations about what needs to be done to eliminate minority mental health disparity in the United States.
How many people have mental health issues?
One-in-five adults experience a mental illness, ranging from mild to severe. Of those 46.6 million adults, only 43 percent received care for their mental health over the course of a year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
How many years younger do people die from mental illness?
Research shows people with mental illness have a higher relative risk of death than the general population and die 15-to-30 years younger than their counterparts. Most die of the same natural causes that are leading causes of death nationwide, including heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular, respiratory, and lung diseases.
Is there a gap between mental health and health care?
There’s an alarming gap between the number of people who experience mental illness and those who receive care. It's especially troubling when you consider that the health disparity between people with mental illness and those without is larger than disparities attributable to race, ethnicity, geography, or socioeconomic status.
Why are minorities not getting mental health care?
There are many reasons why minorities aren’t getting proper care. Here are some of them: 1 A lack of availability 2 Transportation issues, difficulty finding childcare/taking time off work 3 The belief that mental health treatment “doesn’t work” 4 The high level of mental health stigma in minority populations 5 A mental health system weighted heavily towards non-minority values and culture norms 6 Racism, bias, and discrimination in treatment settings 7 Language barriers and an insufficient number of providers who speak languages other than English 8 A lack of adequate health insurance coverage (and even for people with insurance, high deductibles and co-pays make it difficult to afford)
What is the stigma of mental health?
The high level of mental health stigma in minority populations. A mental health system weighted heavily towards non-minority values and culture norms. Racism, bias, and discrimination in treatment settings. Language barriers and an insufficient number of providers who speak languages other than English.
What is the culture of mental health?
Many people are unable to attain their highest level of mental wellness for several reasons, and the culture of mental health is just one barrier. Closely tied to race and ethnicity, “culture” refers to a group of people who share a set of beliefs, norms, values and attitudes. The culture we associate with influences what we think and what we do—especially when it comes to mental health.
Why do mental health organizations need to provide ongoing education and training?
Mental health organizations must provide ongoing education and training in culturally appropriate service delivery for their staff especially if the staff comes from backgrounds that are different from their clientele’s. This education will help build trust between patient and professional and increase engagement.
What are the culturally appropriate services?
The U.S. government has developed standards for culturally appropriate services that all mental health care providers and organizations should follow. Here are a few of the National CLAS (Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services) Standards: 1 Provide equitable, understandable and respectful quality care and services that are responsive to the cultural health beliefs and practices of the patient demographic. 2 Offer free language assistance and other communication needs to individuals with limited English proficiency. Inform all individuals of these services in their preferred language, both verbally and in writing. 3 Encourage the recruitment and retention of a diverse, bilingual staff that is representative of the demographic characteristics of the service area.
Who is Elizabeth Wolfe?
Elizabeth Wolfe, a mental health therapist in Washington, D.C., sees many Latino clients at Mary’s Center, a federally funded local service agency in Washington, D.C. Wolfe has had several Latino clients who saw a curandero, or spiritual healer, before coming to see her.
What is culture in psychology?
Closely tied to race and ethnicity, “culture” refers to a group of people who share a set of beliefs, norms, values and attitudes. The culture we associate with influences what we think and what we do—especially when it comes to mental health.
What is the difference between Latinos and African Americans?
Latino participants viewed mental illness diagnoses as “potentially very socially damaging,” while African-Americans considered mental illness to constitute “private family business” that should not be dealt with or even acknowledged publicly.
What is the APA?
The APA recommends facilitating partnerships among behavioral health providers, educators, community leaders, families and government agencies to ensure the development of culturally competent services. These partners can share resources and educate and engage each other to work toward systematic change.
What is a serious mental illness?
Serious mental illness, or SMI, is defined as a mental, behavioral or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.
What is the prevalence of SMI?
Prevalence of SMI. Among racial and ethnic minorities, the prevalence of SMI is highest for individuals reporting two or more races (7.5 percent), followed by American Indian/Alaskan Natives (4.9 percent), Hispanics (3.6 percent), Blacks (3.1 percent), and Asians (1.9 percent).
Is SMI heterogeneous?
Although racial and ethnic minorities are a heterogeneous group of individuals, there are common disparities experienced by African-American, Hispanic, Asian and American Indian/Alaska Natives. Individuals from these racial and ethnic minority populations with SMI are more likely to experience the following.
The Essence of The Disparity Problem
The Statistics of The Problem
- In 2018, it is reported that there are approximately 327 million people living in the United States. Of that number, 1 in 5 have a mental illness (20%) meaning approximately 65.4 million live with a mental health diagnosis with 51% of that number having a co-occurring substance abuse problem.1 In 2015, a national survey found that 80% of citizens of the U.S. live in urban areas (in …
Problems in Receiving Appropriate Mental Health Care in A Rural Setting
- There are other barriers to someone living in a rural setting receiving adequate mental health care. These include blockades that may include cultural differences and lack of privacy. In communities where the majority are of one demographic make-up, (perhaps a conservative community), going to therapy or to see a psychiatrist can lead to the person experiencing discrimination leading to j…
The High Personal Costs of The Mental Health Disparities in Rural America
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States lost 44,193 citizens to suicide in 2015.7 That is approximately one death every twelve minutes. These stats make death by suicide one of the top leading causes of death in the U.S. today. In fact, in 2017, the CDC reported that completed suicide rates had jumped 33% since 1999.8 Death rates by sui…
in Closing
- It should not be that people with a mental health diagnosis must either travel for miles for or simply not receive the help they need due to a lack of professionals where they live. If the citizens of the United States wish to stop losing loved ones and neighbors to suicide, we must come together to solve the disparities seen between rural and urban areas. The costs of not ending th…
References
- 1 Park-Lee, E., Lipari, R. N., Hedden, S. L., Kroutil, L. A., & Porter, J. D. (2017). Receipt of services for substance use and mental health issues among adults: results from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. In CBHSQ Data Review. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(US). 2. Andrilla, C. H. A., Patterson, D. G., Garberson, L. A., Coulthard, C., & Larson…