Mental Health In African American Community Essay

Less than ten percent of mental health cases in the African American community is reported to health center. However, that statistics does not cover the amount of people who suffer from these behind closed doors. There is a stigma place in the Black community, that if you seek or speak out about your mental Illness you are perceived as weak or less of a person. The question that have arose is where this stigma stemmed from. Through research, the most reoccurring explanation is that there is not enough mental health care centers in areas that black people are populated.

Mental Illness Shouldn't Be Disregarded   "The only shameful thing about mental illness is the stigma attached to it". Only 25% of people with mental health issues feel that people are caring and sympathetic towards their struggles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   There are a wide variety of "mental illnesses" which can all affect a person in different ways, some issues can compound things and lead to feelings that the only option is to lash out at the world and make them feel the pain they feel inside, i.e. school shootings and homicides. While others feel the need to lash out on themselves instead. Instead of disregarding these issues, we must bring mental health issues out into the sunlight, deal with it, treat people, and have centers where people can get the necessary help they may need.

Sarah Wilkes: Prompt 1 There are many negative stigmas in regards to seeking treatment for mental illness. Is it possible that people around the world choose to not seek treatment due to these stigmas? Or does one’s cultural beliefs keep them from seeking treatment as well? Negative attitudes and beliefs toward people who have a mental health condition is common in America and countries around the globe.

HSC should invest in me because I am dedicated to my education and understand the impact that education can have on my life. Since I began school at a young age, I have proven not only to be dedicated to my education, but to extracurricular activities and community service as well. For several years now, I have struggled with anxiety and depression. Anxiety disorders affect about 30% of girls in the United States. Anxiety and depression can cause insomnia, difficulty concentrating, and loss of pleasure in hobbies and activities.

The stigma of mental health and stability has been a rampant issue for decades, although one that is frequently overlooked. Studies have shown that historical events such as the Industrial Revolution that caused massive migrations and poor living conditions for the middle and lower classes wreaked psychological havoc for generations. Many of these psychological effects like lower standards of professional satisfaction, and "regional patterns of personality and well-being" (Jasper Hamill) are still prominent today. In the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," Charlotte Perkins Gilman explores the effects of mental health on women in the 1890s, and how the stigmas surrounding the topic of mental health lead to the oppression and unjust persecution

As a society, we have made great strides towards being open and honest about how we are feeling, sometimes too much so. Still, a mental illness stigma remains. This does not even begin to compare to the prevalent stigma of earlier times. Despite the lack of a voice and recognition, teenage girls have always been at the epicenter of mental illness. Teenage girls are constantly under the microscope of parents, teachers, teenage boys, and other teenage girls.

The lack of acceptance towards mental illnesses being considered actual illnesses has left many people with a fractured truth about mental illnesses as a whole. Although society is getting better at dealing with mental illnesses, there is still the perception that mental illnesses do not need to be treated because they are not visible wounds, which is completely untrue. Both John and Kathy think like this. "... Kathy did not insist that he see a psychiatrist ad that John did not feel the need to seek help." (O'Brien 75)

Why do the people of today still associate stigma, shame and blame with mental health issues? Mental health issues are extremely and widely misunderstood. Despite the fact one in four people are likely to experience some kind of mental health problem a year in the United Kingdom. “Mental health is a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being and it affects how we feel, think and act. It also helps to determine how we handle situations such as stress, how we relate to others and how we make decisions.

Cultural Difference in Mental Health Prevention and Promotion Mental health promotion and mental health prevention are separate avenues of approach to mental well-being but are not mutually exclusive. Mental health promotion asks the question “what can be done to keep people healthy or increase health” while prevention asks the question “what can be done to avoid illness?” (Kalra et al., 2012). Over the last two decades, mental health has been included along with physical health by the World Health Organization, in efforts to achieve global health. But just like physical health, mental health disparities exist among ethnic minorities in the United States.

Speech 1.12.17 Why is it so hard to say “I am fighting depression,” and so easy to say “my show got cancelled, I’m so depressed”? The first is looked down upon, and the second is seen as more acceptable. Many people misuse mental illnesses and use them as adjectives, whether on purpose or not. For example, people say, “the way you organize the books on your desk is so neat! You’re so OCD!”

The stigma and the detriments of being mentally disabled in the United States are rarely discussed amongst politicians. Mental health is seen as a taboo topic, which once opened all chaos shall be released. It is because of local, state, and federal politicians lack of courage to tackle this chaotic issue that the continued unfair treatment of mentally disable people is continued. This ignorance of politicians violates a principle that should never be violated, that a human’s dignity should never be ignored no matter the circumstance. Mental health is a can of worms that needs to be opened.

Recovery can look different, depending on who is being asked. As stated in class discussion, "Mental health recovery is a journey of healing and transformation. " Recovery can allow a person to reach self-determination and live a meaningful life based on their choice. Recovery is a collaboration between the client, family members, primary care doctors, and mental health professionals. The recovery model can assist in removing boundaries from recovery that traditional methods, such as the medical model, can otherwise create.

Although mental illness has not always been a subject of social importance, it has always been an issue in America. In the early years of this country, mentally disabled people were considered morally unclean and were social outcasts. At this time in history there were not places for these people to go to any sort of treatment so they were cared for by their families. Since it was socially unacceptable to have a mental illness at the time, there were some cases where people lived in poorhouses or were sent to jail (Ozarin). The necessity to treat the mentally ill increased as America continued to grow and advance.