Socioeconomic status refers to an individual’s ability to produce and consume resources (Landsbergis, Grzywacz, & LaMontagne, 2014). It is one of the most important determinants of health and is associated with access to material resources, such as adequate housing, safe neighborhoods, healthy food, clean water, clean air, educational opportunities, and control over ones work (Symbaluk & Bereska, 2016). A lack of these material resources can have a direct or indirect impact on ones health and illness. Socioeconomic status affects an individual’s health and illness through job security, adequate nutritious diet, and has an impact on lifestyle behaviors. Lower socioeconomic status is consistently linked with job insecurity (Landsbergis et al., 2014).…
In small towns or cities, people do not have support systems to turn to for help in mental illness or racism because their cities support money rather than serious issues. Mental illness needs to be supported everywhere, especially for the youth, more youths will face mental illness because they are transitioning from one place to another or one school to another and they need…
Many individuals are afraid to seek healthcare for their mental illness because they do not want others to know and do not want to be associated with the stigma. Advanced Practice Nurses can advocate for patients and provide resources in obtaining help. Other individuals who live in poverty with a mental diagnosis may not be able to afford the help he or she may need. Shipler (2009, p. 53) reports, “Depression is a frequent companion of poverty.” Those living in poverty suffering from a mental illness cannot afford the resources needed.…
Researchers have identified systemic barriers such as long wait times, limited access to providers, and discrimination within healthcare systems, worsening the disparities in mental health outcomes. In addition, access to providers is likewise restricted, particularly for Black providers. Accessibility issues might also arise from…
Mental illness is a largely stigmatized topic and it leads most patients to fear treatment options and seeking care. Often times, the relatively unprepared communities are not supportive of these patients and make them feel more out of place. A lack of community support causes relapse and therefore, readmission to hospitals (Yearwood, 2008). Another weakness comes from the fact that, often times, patients in these facilities are unable to care for themselves. This means they rely heavily on local centers, or support systems.…
Until recently, research on the delivery of mental health services did not consider race or ethnicity as a major factor. It was found that the use of expenditures for mental health services by Medicaid beneficiaries displayed marked differences between ethnic groups that raised concerns about potential disparities in mental health care among racial and ethnic minorities such as African Americans. In order to resolve the issue of ethical and racial disparity one must know and understand the origin of the problem in order to find a…
According to the National Healthcare Disparities Report (2012), minority and low-income groups are receiving below average health care quality, their access to mental services is getting worse, and disparities are not changing” (DHHS, 2013). This suggests that the government’s initiative of enacting MHPAEA to bring equality between mental health and medical health benefits has not come to fruition because a disproportionate amount of minorities are still facing preventable disparities in mental health…
Introduction I am a social worker working for a non-government organisation and I am working in a rural town with a population of around 10,000-14,000. This rural town is five hours away from the closest city. For the purpose of this assignment we are going to go by this rural town as Kimba. In recent years the mental health status among families, individuals and communities in rural environments has been a main focus of the media and the government as it has had a great impact on those living in rural communities.…
There are number of potential key factors linked to the underutilization of mental health services. The lack of access to mental health services continues and it is the most serious problem within the Latino community. Numerous Latino families leave their country of origin, to find better opportunities in the United States since the opportunities for employment in their own country are scarce and the violence has made it unsafe to raise their families. As Latino immigrant families transition and adapt to the United States, or as second generation individuals try to embrace both cultures, they experience a range of adverse experiences. Some of the adverse experiences include substandard housing, abuse, trauma, stigma, discrimination, and poverty…
The Facts of Disparities in Mental Health Care Typically, disparities in mental health care are measured by the amount of time that a person spends on treatment annually. In certain studies, such as Le Cook’s study in 2014, however, researchers look at the types of treatments that a patient receives when they go through an “episode” or event of mental health care. Based on Benjamin Le Cook’s study on racial disparities in…
The conditions in which people are born, grow up, and subsequently live are social determinants of health. This includes education, work, worship, and available recreation. Furthermore, the health systems available for treating illness and injury are key elements as well (Riegelman, R., & Kirkwood, B., 2015). The vast resources available in York County, as well as the challenges within the community, impact the health and outcomes for residents.…
“Jails and prisons have become the mental asylums of the 21st Century” (qtd. in Daniel). The American prison system should be used strictly for criminals, not for those seen as the “criminally insane.” By researching America’s prison system in today’s world, how this has affected mentally ill inmates, and learning about reform movements, America has a chance to treat these people as prisoners of their own minds instead of placing them behind literal bars. The deinstitutionalization of the state mental health system has caused a dangerous overpopulation in America’s prison system.…
Through the discussion I will refer to mental illness as mental health behaviors as I do not like the term "mentally ill" because of the negative stigma that is tied with mental illness. In my personal opinion, I do not believe we have many resources to proactively treat Mental Health behaviors, especially for the young and the addicted. Usually community services does not get involved until the individual has committed a crime or has caused harm to self or another person. Also, I believe community sources such as Community Mental Health is lacking to give quality services because state funding is always being cut, and they can not employee counselors long enough to create a therapeutic relationship with their clients. And because of the lack of community services many of the young or addicted is turned over to the criminal system, and as sad as it sounds, jails and prisons is our main source of community services for many who suffer from health behaviors.…
Psychiatric diagnoses are categorized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th. Edition (DSM-V). The manual is published by the American Psychiatric Association and covers all mental health disorders for both children and adults. It also lists known causes of these disorders, statistics in terms of gender, age at onset, and prognosis as well as some research concerning the optimal treatment approaches. In Canada, “one in five people experiences a mental health problem or illness and it affects almost everyone in some way” (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2013).…
Childhood mental health disorders are a growing public health issue due to increasing prevalence, early age of onset, and impact on the child, family, and community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2013) report that 20% of children living in the United States (U.S.) suffer from mental illness, many of whom do not receive proper screening, leading to delayed or missed diagnosis. Many parents of children with emotional issues and mental health diagnosis are not aware of the services available to them in their communities. A goal of Healthy People 2020 (United States Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], Healthy People 2020, 2016a) is to improve healthy development, safety, and well-being in the youth population by increasing the percentage of children with mental health problems who receive early screening, preventive services, and treatment. The purposes of this paper are to examine the issues of disparities in childhood and adolescent mental related to health screening and prevention services, and to discuss innovative strategies for resolving these issues.…