Mental Illness In African Americans Essay

As defined by experts, a mental illness is a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and involves changes in thinking, emotion, behavior, interpersonal interactions, daily functioning, or a combination. The causes of mental illness are complex and vary depending on the theories associated to the different biological, psychological, and environmental factors. The etiology of mental illness is based on five broad models: biological, psychological, behavioral, cognitive, and social.

Statistics state that mental illness is estimated to be higher in blacks than in whites. One of the contributing factors to why blacks aren’t being cared for when they have a mental illness is because of the stigma that mental illness doesn’t exist within the community. According to Plowden (2006), “ African American men often differ in their presentation of depression and are often misdiagnosed. African American men are at greater risk for depression, but they are less likely to participate in mental health care.” This is due to the

The African Americans before World War Two were not treated equal. Before the depression they more and more African Americans began to seek jobs but this lead to many problems. There were rallies against companies hiring African Americans and very prominent wage gaps. “It was exactly what the white defenders called it: a “way of life” that included elements of culture, expectations of behavior, and a political economy that mocked the ideals of a democratic republic wherever Jim Crow ruled” (Moye 15). Even though there were laws in place for less racial segregation, most people still did not like African Americans. Many still worked on farms as sharecroppers or on tenant farms. This also led them to get hit hard and be very affected by the depression.

Healthcare professional consistently ask why African American suffer in silence due to mental illness. Supporting statistic prove that African Americans are 20% more likely to report having serious psychological distress than non-Hispanic Whites, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Services ("Black Folks and Mental Health:Why Do We Suffer in Silence? - Wellness & Empowerment - EBONY," n.d.). As I stated in my decision question I believe this is due to the stigma associated with mental illness and the labels that are attached to mental, because no one want to be considered “crazy”. Also, the African American culture has a history of being deeply spiritual and look for “God” to fix all things

Other negative factors regarding African-American schizophrenics include low quality insurance, poverty, negative encounters from professionals in the past. In order to decrease the symptoms of schizophrenia in African-Americans, clinicians can promote wellness, such as exercising, practicing healthy dietary behaviors and improving medication adherence to improve health outcomes. Other than mental illnesses, African-Americans are at risk of having other physical diseases such high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases than Caucasians. African-Americans may believe the causes of schizophrenia may result from negative life events, stress, genetics, medical issues, anxiety, chemical imbalance, and environmental factors.

African American communities have proven to be a powerful force when banded together in a common goal to prosper in a world where they have not always been accepted. These communities are characterized as being formidable, inspirational, resilient, independent and made to endure the impossible. However, these same communities have experienced extreme difficulties, challenges and hardships, including the critical yet silent battle with mental health. Culturally, African American families tend to underestimate mental illnesses instead of consulting professional services. Socially, there is a score of stigmas and negative attitudes towards mental illnesses amongst the Black community. Economically, the African American communities that are

A survey was conducted by Sherrill L. Sellers (Miami University of Ohio), Harold W. Neighbors, (University of Michigan), and Vence L. Bonham (Michigan State University) in order to address the interaction between goal-oriented stress and overall well being in 399 college-educated African American associated with a historically black national fraternal organization all over the world. Mental health of African American male populations is poorly understood due to unique social, racial, and psychological variables. Although many black men deem success possible, a great number identify resistance to success in the form of prejudice, discrimination, and minimal opportunities in comparison with their white counterpart.

Mental illness is an increasing problem in America. Currently about 26.2% of Americans suffer from a mental disorder. A mental illness/disorder is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, and ability to relate to others and daily functions. Mental illness can affect humans of any age, race, gender and socioeconomic status. However the care that is needed to effectively cure and help the people affected by the illness is not equal for everyone here in American, especially for African Americans.

In the beginning, Metal Illness was treated like it was a special form of stupidity, but it is in fact a serious medical issue and shouldn’t be downgraded by ignorant stigma.

Persons with mental illness are already considered an at-risk population. It is suspected that mental illness might disproportionately affect African Americans, which can cause them unfair treatment from societal institutions which reduce socio-economic status and opportunities which perceive discrimination in the correctional area (Public Access). With African Americans having the stereotype of “being a criminal” African Americans are more likely to be called a criminal and placed in jail instead of taking into consideration such person may have a mental illness. Since authorities interpret the African-American behavior as criminal, there is less likelihood that they will receive treatment or have accessibility to treatment in the community

This report goes over the issues in the field of psychology. Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behavior. Many issues in Psychology can go in hand with Mental illness which affects a large amount of the world population, young and old. Mental Illness is a variety of conditions that affect, mood , behavior and mental process. These mental illness can be depression, ADHD and more. I then further explored how children being medicated for mental problems is an issue due to the lasting effects and alternative treatments. I also began further exploring mental Illnesses in the African American community, this is an issue because that racial group receives the least care and resources in mental health. Lastly, the overall use

The stigma towards mental disorders is transgenerational, which contributes to the vicious cycle of shame and disappointment when we happen to know of someone in our community who has fallen victim to a mental disease. If I ever happen to experience psychological problems as a result of my racial identity, I would not feel comfortable in confiding with a physician who is not educated on issues that plague the black community. Mental health is a very delicate topic of discussion in my family, thus sharing my story to someone who is not culturally competent is not even an option; I would rather confide in close friends about my mental

African American women will suffer psychological distress and will be left untreated. White people are more likely to obtain assistance for their disorder while African American will not seek and type of healthcare assistance. A person suffering from a mental disorder that is left undiagnosed may become violent and abusive. They may suffer from manic which will affect your brain chemistry according to mentalhealthamerica.net website. Majority of African American wills not seek treatment which will being to infer judgment and everyday life.

Black mental health differs from White mental health. White people manage mental illness completely different than African Americans. For instance, the 2010 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report states that White people seek and receive treatment or therapy for mental health issues at twice the rate as African Americans.

Mental health is defined as a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being. In this day and age, mental health is a very prevalent matter considering that more and more people are opening up about it and showing others that it indeed is okay for you or someone you may know to seek help. Unfortunately, within racial minority groups it is not as prevalent as we would hope and it remains partially understood. According to Taylor, Chatters and Nguyen (2013) “there is a limited body of research on the mental health of Black Caribbeans.” Miranda, Siddique, Belin and Kohn-Wood (2005) also stated that even “to date, very little information on psychiatric problems among immigrant black Americans is available.”