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.
Table of Contents
Which ethnicity has the most mental health issues?
People who identify as being two or more races (24.9%) are most likely to report any mental illness within the past year than any other race/ethnic group, followed by American Indian/Alaska Natives (22.7%), white (19%), and black (16.8%).
How does mental health affect different cultures?
The experience and manifestation of mental illness are influenced by an individual’s social and cultural background. It can determine how individuals communicate their symptoms, influence their understanding of their illness, and determine the coping strategies they adopt and the type of interventions they seek.
What ethnic group is most affected by depression?
Major depression was most prevalent among Hispanics (10.8%), followed by African Americans (8.9%) and Whites (7.8%). The odds of depressive disorders among older Hispanics were 44% greater than among Whites (OR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.02, 2.04), representing a significantly greater prevalence of major depression.
Are there cultural differences in the prevalence of mental illness?
Mental illness can be more prevalent in certain cultures and communities, but this is also largely determined by whether that particular disorder is rooted more in genetic or social factors.
Are minorities less likely to seek mental health services?
Minorities in the United States are more likely than whites to delay or fail to seek mental health treatment. After entering care, minority patients are less likely than Whites to receive the best available treatments for depression and anxiety.
What race goes to therapy the most?
Outpatient mental health service use in the past year was highest for adults reporting two or more races (8.8 percent), white adults (7.8 percent), and American Indian or Alaska Native adults (7.7 percent), followed by black (4.7 percent), Hispanic (3.8 percent), and Asian (2.5 percent) adults.
What race is most affected by stress?
On a global measure combining exposure to stressors in five domains (occupation, finances, relationships, racial bias, and violence), blacks, Hispanics, and Asians reported higher levels of stress than whites. Among Hispanics, Puerto Ricans had the highest levels of stress.
How does the Hispanic culture view mental illness?
Hispanic cultures fear being labeled “loco” if they express mental anxiety or concerns, and do not want be viewed as weak or mentally unfit. It is more acceptable to have a neurological or physical condition so many describe their mental health symptoms in physical terms rather than emotional.
What are cultural attitudes to mental illness?
Cultural Perspectives on Mental Illness. Attitudes toward mental illness vary among individuals, families, ethnicities, cultures, and countries. Cultural and religious teachings often influence beliefs about the origins and nature of mental illness, and shape attitudes towards the mentally ill.
How does religion and culture affect mental health?
It is well documented that, usually, many religious beliefs and practices are associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety, and (where measured) higher levels of positive affect (Abdel-Khalek, 2007; Koenig et al., 2001; Loewenthal et al., 2000; Pargament, 1997), though the effects are not universally reported …
Does depression affect a certain ethnic group?
Depression is a disease that straddles all genders, ethnicities, races, and walks of life. Studies have shown that of the roughly 18 million Americans who struggle with mood disorders, approximately ten million of these individuals suffer from major or clinical depression.
How did the Great Depression affect different ethnic groups?
African-American unemployment rates doubled or tripled those of whites. Prior to the Great Depression, African Americans worked primarily in unskilled jobs. After the stock market crash of 1929, those entry-level, low-paying jobs either disappeared or were filled by whites in need of employment.
Is depression found in all cultures?
Although culture can affect both the way anxiety and depression is expressed and how treatment is accessed, there is no evidence that the treatment for these conditions does not work in all cultures and ethnicities.
How is mental health viewed in Africa?
The subject of mental health is largely taboo in Africa. If someone falls ill, the entire family is seen as cursed. But psychiatric problems are on the rise and can no longer be ignored. The causes of this development are the many social changes in the past 50 years.
How have social and cultural attitudes changed towards mental health?
One major change has been the shift in society’s attitudes. People are becoming more accepting of mental health problems and more supportive of people with issues. They are more aware of common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, and are more willing to talk to health professionals and seek treatment.
How could cultural differences impact treatment?
Misunderstandings of and/or ignorance toward cultural differences may lead to physical violence, which may require medical attention. Studies have also demonstrated minorities may be less likely to seek both medical and mental health treatment, which may be because of fear, stigma, discrimination, or other factors.
What demographic has the least access to mental health care?
People from racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to receive mental health care. In 2015, among adults with any mental illness, 48% of whites received mental health services, compared with 31% of blacks and Hispanics, and 22% of Asians.
How can we ensure that minorities obtain proper mental health care?
- Encourage mental health organizations to include minorities on staff or boards of directors.
- Write, call or talk to legislators—both local and federal—to support efforts to improve access to and the quality of mental health services in your area.
Why do minorities have less access to healthcare?
Compared with white persons, black persons and other minorities have lower levels of access to medical care in the United States due to their higher rates of unemployment and under-representation in good-paying jobs that include health insurance as part of the benefit package (Blendon et al., 1989; Trevino et al., 1991 …
Why is Black therapy important?
Black clients are more likely to get misdiagnosed than their nonblack counterparts. This is incredibly important because an accurate diagnosis provides the best foundation for treatment of the client. If someone is diagnosed incorrectly, they don’t stand the best chances of appropriately treating the client.
What is Black depression?
Black people face different social pressures that may increase their risk of depression. Although the prevalence of depression is similar between Black and white communities, suicide rates have greatly increased among Black youth over the past 20 years. This points to an emerging crisis in Black mental health.
Which ethnic groups have higher rates of panic disorder?
The compared groups were White, African American, Latino and Asian. The White group had significantly higher rates of panic disorder, and of many panic symptoms, including palpitations, as compared to the African American, Asian and Latino groups.
Which race has the most social anxiety?
White Americans were more likely to be diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic disorder than African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans.
Does separation anxiety affect a certain ethnic group?
A large study conducted in Hawaii reported significant group differences in the prevalence of symptoms of separation anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety, and obsessive–compulsive disorder (Austin and Chorpita 2004) with White children generally endorsing lower levels of symptoms than other groups (Filipino …