Minority Populations

Minorities in America use a language that is not their own and over time they forget their own native language. This description fits me well, since I arrived in New York at the age of two and I have always viewed myself as an American. I thought that communicating in English was cool and my native language Tamil sounded backwards. Coming from a family that knew how to speak English fluently, I found myself speaking English rather than Tamil. One day my parents forced me to join a Saturday school where they taught Tamil. I cried and I wailed, but nothing worked out, I was pushed into attending the class, I had no choice but to go. When I got there, I was extremely upset and regretted being there. However, I was astonished to witness little

Brown, T. N., Donato, K. M., Laske, M. T., & Duncan, E. M. (2012). Race, Nativity, Ethnicity, and Cultural Influences in the Sociology of Mental Health. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health, 255-276.

Nina Mulia, Dr.P.H, Yu Ye, Sarah Zemore, and Thomas Greenfield (2008), conducted a study examining the adverse health effects of social disadvantage on minority populations. The researchers sought to find out if said adverse health effects led to alcohol problems. In their study, they focus on social disadvantage as a source of stress and analyze its association with alcohol use and problems in the three largest racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Mulia et al. (2008) collected date from 6,631 white, black, and Hispanic Americans using information from the 2005 U.S. National Alcohol Survey, a nationally representative telephone-based survey of adults ages 18 and older. The researchers accounted for social disadvantages by measuring poverty level, frequency of unfair treatment, racial/ethnic stigma consciousness, and cumulative disadvantage. For this study, Mulia et al. (2008) administered 1-hour telephone interview surveys in English or Spanish depending on the preference of the respondent. Included in the effects were drinking status, at-risk drinking, and problem drinking. The results of the study showed that blacks and Hispanics were exposed to more social disadvantages than whites. Blacks and Hispanics reported greater exposure to poverty, unfair treatment, racial/ethnic stigma, and cumulative disadvantage. There

Children and adolescents are vulnerable to the harmful effects of racism and racial discrimination. This leads to consequences both in their childhood and through the life trajectory (Priest et al., 2014). Racism is expressed in various ways through emotions, behaviors/practices, and beliefs embedded in structures and social systems (Priest et al., 2014). Currently, there is increasing empirical evidence that vicarious racial discrimination leads to negative health outcomes for adolescents and children. Vicarious racism is hearing or seeing someone else experience racism. (Priest et al., 2014). Studies show that adolescence and childhood stages are the foundations for mental health outcomes across the life stages (Priest et al., 2014). Intervening during the adolescent years is recommended as an important way to reduce inequalities in mental health outcomes during their life span (Priest et al.,

Behavioural Activation (BA) is a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy technique which has been used to treat depression

The sum effect of the continual violence against black Americans by the United States’ police, the efforts to blame the country’s first black president. The connection between racism and severe anxiety stresses the negative impact that discrimination has on society. Ultimately, racial battle is manifest by the diminished life spans by increasing suicide rates among black children and other indices of the toll that day-to-day life in a racist society takes on the emotional, physical and financial health of black and brown Americans.

Mental health issues can develop in an individual as a result of racial stereotyping. “According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States face a social and economic environment of inequality that includes greater exposure to racism which takes a toll on mental health”.

As with many things pertaining to mental health and minorities, there is substantial lack information on how Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) is specifically relevant to minority populations. Often signs or symptoms of this disorder are overlooked or misdiagnosed due in part to varying emphases on the role of parent/child interactions in different cultures and ethnicities. It is known that regardless of upbringing, “an infant’s motivation and behavior are thought to be primarily instinctual and unconscious, early experiences provide the framework for what will become the unconscious mind in adulthood” (Hardy, 2007, p. 29).

Mental illnesses are very common in the United States, with one in five of adolescents having a diagnosed mental illness and in the last year less than half of these adolescents have received proper treatment. The most common mental disorders, anxiety and depression, can disrupt daily life and result in suicide, which is the third most frequent cause of death in teenagers (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). Ten percent of adolescents did not have health insurance in 2013 and those who did, had a very limited amount of mental health care services provided to them (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). It has been proved that it is even less likely that adolescents who are poor, homeless, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender will receive the care that is necessary for their health and even life (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). Mental disorders are not only an

The minority is defined by relative weakness of its social praxis, lack of the government representation, the unfairness of the judiciary towards it. The minority is a group of people who are signed out from the others in the society, receive unequal treatment and regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination (Akhtar, 2014). Even though the United States is multiethnic country and the number of minorities is growing, the treatment of minorities is still discriminatory.

Depression is a common factor between discrimination victims. “Although most people experience sadness at one time or another, in the United States between 8 and 26 percent of the population meet the psychiatric criteria for clinical depression.” Wilma(1) That number is way to high. Taking out racism will Drop it at lest 2-3%. Depression starts to show in the victims social life.“Depression is a mental disorder grounded in the social realities and expectations” Mankiller, Willma (12). This can mean that someones expectation of themselves may go down because of being discriminated. This is bad because they will think less and less of themselves until the just give up.

Throughout Austin’s history, minority populations were isolated through political acts such as “A City Plan” in 1928, which wanted to make Austin “beautiful” so that involved removing minorities from the area surrounding the capital. In addition, schools for minorities were restricted to just the East side to force minority populations to move there. By the 1990’s, Austin was branded with the title “Live Music Capital of the World.” This title gave rise to an economic and social boost to Austin, but by doing so, it diluted the native culture into a hipster culture.

There are many types of discrimination that exist in U.S. society, but the most common type of discrimination is towards African-Americans. Even though we think that discrimination of race has been extinct for many years there is still discrimination in our everyday lives. Discrimination in an African-American’s life leads to high stress levels, which then in turn leads to physical and mental health problems. These health issues effect the lives of the victims as well as those of their family members. When people are being discriminated against on a daily basis, the victim’s self-esteem is lowered. Many African-Americans who get discriminated against can have mental health problems or have low self-esteem. African-Americans who experience discrimination report lower levels of personal well-being, lower levels of mastery, and higher levels of psychological problems

From the late seventeenth century to the early twenty-first, minority groups in the United States continue to encounter various restrictions in regards with the right to vote. Traditionally, certain groups are concerned with protecting their political power over others as they maintain a tight control over their privilege. Doing so resulted in several violations of human rights, specifically stated in the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. From the local and state governments, to the federal government, voting restrictions based simply upon race and gender are unlawful.

Today’s teenagers are faced with the ever changing world around them and the biological changes of their bodies. Many teens are also faced with depression. Approximately half of teenagers with untreated depression may attempt suicide, which remains the third leading cause of death in this age group. (Bostic). This depression affects their school, family lives, and robs them of their self image. Depression affects many teens and often goes by unnoticed and untreated.