Special People/Special Needs
University of Phoenix
Cultural Diversity
BSHS 421
Special People/Special Needs
Mental illness is a special need within itself; couple that with being a minority, specifically an African American, and the problem increases. The following paper will display examples and data portraying the difficulty that African Americans face when seeking mental health services, particularly for schizophrenia. Also included will be assessment techniques, intervention strategies and treatment planning.
According to the NAMI Multicultural Action Center (Medline Plus, 2004), “African Americans in the United States are less likely to receive diagnoses and treatment for their mental illnesses than Caucasian Americans.” This can be due to many factors, including strong family and religious bonds that do not persuade outside resources, even when called for. Also barring treatment is the bias that many African Americans hold towards mental health professionals. This is due to a history of misdiagnoses, inadequate treatment, and a general lack of cultural understanding on behalf of the mental health professional. In fact, data shows that as of 2004 only “2% of psychiatrists, 2% of psychologists, and 4% of social workers in the United States are African American.”(Medline Plus)
To complicate this, many African Americans are stigmatized in their own community and mental illness remains vastly misunderstood. Those with insurance, often do not seek treatment for fear of being ostracized. Those that do seek treatment often struggle with misdiagnoses.
Unlike specific diseases like cancer or diabetes which can be diagnosed from specific blood or other laboratory testing, mental illness or disorders are defined by signs, symptoms, and/or functional impairments that are much more difficult to diagnose. Mental health practitioners and counselors are governed by the American Psychological Association (APA): “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Disorder DSSM-IV-TR,” the American
Cultural Diversity
BSHS 421
Special People/Special Needs
Mental illness is a special need within itself; couple that with being a minority, specifically an African American, and the problem increases. The following paper will display examples and data portraying the difficulty that African Americans face when seeking mental health services, particularly for schizophrenia. Also included will be assessment techniques, intervention strategies and treatment planning.
According to the NAMI Multicultural Action Center (Medline Plus, 2004), “African Americans in the United States are less likely to receive diagnoses and treatment for their mental illnesses than Caucasian Americans.” This can be due to many factors, including strong family and religious bonds that do not persuade outside resources, even when called for. Also barring treatment is the bias that many African Americans hold towards mental health professionals. This is due to a history of misdiagnoses, inadequate treatment, and a general lack of cultural understanding on behalf of the mental health professional. In fact, data shows that as of 2004 only “2% of psychiatrists, 2% of psychologists, and 4% of social workers in the United States are African American.”(Medline Plus)
To complicate this, many African Americans are stigmatized in their own community and mental illness remains vastly misunderstood. Those with insurance, often do not seek treatment for fear of being ostracized. Those that do seek treatment often struggle with misdiagnoses.
Unlike specific diseases like cancer or diabetes which can be diagnosed from specific blood or other laboratory testing, mental illness or disorders are defined by signs, symptoms, and/or functional impairments that are much more difficult to diagnose. Mental health practitioners and counselors are governed by the American Psychological Association (APA): “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Disorder DSSM-IV-TR,” the American
References: Atkinson, D. R. (2004). Counseling American minorities (6th ed.). : The McGraw-Hill Companies. Curtis, J. (n.d.). Schizophrenia Treatment Overview. Retrieved July 17, 2008, from http://health.yahoo.com/other-other/schizophrenia-treatment-overview/healthwise--aa47103.html HealthyPlace.com (2000). Mental illness and minorities. Retrieved July 17, 2008, from http://www.healthyplace.com/communities/depression/minorites_2.asp Medline Plus (2004). African American Community Mental Health Fact Sheet. Retrieved July 19, 2008, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/africanamericanhealth.html#cat22 National Women 's Health Resource Center (2002, January 2). Diagnosis Schizophrenia. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from http://www.healthywomen.org/healthtopics/schizophrenia/diagnosis Satcher, D. (2001, December 11). Culture counts in mental health. Retrieved July 17, 2008, from http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec01/culture.html World Health Organization (2006, August 18). Schizophrenia: Youth 's Greatest Disabler. Retrieved July 17, 2008, from http://www.searo.who.int/en/section1174/section1199/section1567/section1827_8058. html Zane, S. S. (2004). Addressing the mental health needs of ethnic minorities. : The McGraw-Hill Companies.