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captpeckerwood007
respond to your classmates post: post: It is no surprise that the…
respond to your classmates post:
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It is no surprise that the mental healthcare system has serious flaws. People today see it as a stigma and don’t even think about going. It is especially hard for races other than white due to the lack of professionals in the field who look like them. Due to the lack of diversity of the professionals in the mental health field, the language barriers and a lack of understanding of that race and their struggles can defer the mental health treatment of an individual or individuals. You can’t help someone you don’t understand, especially when making decisions about their care.
An important reason why we need diversity in the mental health field is due to the understanding of and explanation of mental illness by different cultures and ethnicities. For example, Native Americans might see the cause of mental illness as spiritual. Seeking out help is also looked at differently based on culture. African Americans, especially men, are told to “suck it up,” while Asians are told not to think about it and focus on what’s essential. Certain races may not even believe in Western Medicine (Alegria et al., 2010).
The diagnosis of disorders can also be flawed due to the lack of diversity in this field. Helping people of other cultures and races with tests and assessments made by the majority leads to misdiagnoses. Depending on the culture, mental health illnesses may present themselves differently. These findings suggest that cultural differences may influence the individual’s acknowledgment of mental illness and the provider’s diagnosis, including the perception and intensity of stigma associated with mental health help-seeking behavior. Some cultures may not understand what constitutes a mental health disorder (Alegria et al., 2010).
The environment minorities grow up in also impacts the help the majority can give the minority in the mental health field. Some cultures grow up differently than others. Therefore most clinicians cannot understand the impact the environment a child grows up in has on them. In 2010, 26 percent of children grew up in single households and 15 percent in blended families, a vastly higher number than years before (Alegria et al., 2010). Clinicians of the majority probably had two family households with children from the same parents. Helping children overcome issues stemming from the environment they grew up in would be more successful coming from a clinician who has been through a similar situation.
Children-Adolescent Mental Health Services
One of the main reasons why mental health gets so out of hand is because it is not addressed in children. According to Pumariega et al., minority children receive half the amount of sessions as white children (1998).
Culture
Culture is one of the main reasons why minorities do not get the mental health help they deserve. It could be why therapy and help aren’t being taken seriously or even used correctly on both the individual and the family level. Parents could also be against therapy and use that thought process when raising their children. That stigma could get passed down, which is why it won’t change (Alegria, 2010).
Conclusion
This article helps me better understand multicultural psychology because I can begin to understand the struggles minorities go through, especially mentally, daily. Seeing the statistics on the type of treatment minorities receive in the mental health world and the lack of diversity in the field makes me realize the struggle that’s gone through to get help. This article helps me begin to understand others’ experiences.
Alegria, M., Atkins, M., Farmer, E., Slaton, E., & Stelk, W. (2010, March). One size does not fit all: Taking diversity, culture and context
seriously. Administration and policy in mental health. Retrieved January 20, 2023, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2874609/
Pumariega A, Glover S, Holzer C, Nguyen H. Administrative update: utilization of services. II. Utilization of mental health services in
triethnic sample of adolescents. Community Mental Health Journal. 1998;34(2):145-156.
