Although mental illness does not discriminate, the modern health care services in the United States favor individuals that belong to specific groups in the community as they may receive treatment at significantly lower rates. Some of the minority communities in the US that have been affected by these vices include African Americans, Latinos, American Indians, and Asians. Some of the factors that have promoted these occurrences include poor quality of care, high levels of stigma, lower rates of health insurance, cultural homogeneity in the health system and racism (John, 2016).
Increasing Utilization of Health Services in Minority Communities
Understandably, increasing the utilization of these services by the minority communities may require the implementation of different policies that will either help in restoring equality in the US society. Equally, it is important to educate providers on some of the potential barriers for the different populations and encouraging them to seek information from the affected groups on how to increase trust in the health care system (John, 2016).
Similarly, developing outreach programs that can help in educating the community about mental illnesses, recovery and treatment may not only help in reducing the level of stigma that these patients encounter but also encourage mental patients to seek proper treatment and care (Thornicroft et al., 2016). Moreover, the integration of both primary and mental health care programs through community partnerships may encourage the minority groups to seek medical attention in case of any mental disorders.
Groups Responsible
Increasing awareness of mental health services to the community is a collective responsibility that should be carried out by all the stakeholders including the society and organizations. The community can help in educating people on the importance of accepting individuals with medical complications and reducing stigma and the provision of other vital services including supported housing, provision of primary care services and community mental health centres (Thornicroft et al., 2016). Organisations on the other hand help in providing specialized skills through offering professionals to offer services across various geographical locations. Additionally, these agencies may organize support groups and survivor movements that are equally important in encouraging mental health recovery.
Conclusion
Considering the precipitating factors and the different strategies set to increase mental health awareness in the community, both the society and responsible organizations have different roles to play in ensuring that individuals suffering from the complication get quality services. Considerably, to reduce these effects different factors such as the cost of treatment and discrimination should be equally discouraged.
Implication
Lack of awareness among the minority communities has led to a decrease in the total number of individuals from these groups seeking medical attention due to their poor health (Williams, Priest & Anderson, 2016). Additionally, it has led to an increase in the number of organizations that seek to improve the quality of healthcare offered to these groups that include the world health organization and community mental health services (CMHS).
Future Research
Encouragement of both institutional and policy reform for mental health institutions plays an important role in encouraging awareness in the community. The move will also to offer greater accessibility for mental health services to those minority communities and populations and limit the occurrence of some of the precipitating factors such as discrimination. Equally, other essential measures should also be encouraged including increasing of educational programs among the minority communities to increase their understanding of both the effects and implication of the disorder. Similarly, it will help them in understanding their rights and to report any form of mistreatment from health facilities or professionals.
References
John, T. (2016). 8 Reasons Racial and Ethnic Minorities Receive Less Mental Health Treatment | Arundel Lodge. Arundellodge.org. Retrieved 19 February 2018, from http://www.arundellodge.org/8-reasons-cultural-and-ethnic-minorities-receive-less-mental-health-treatment/
Thornicroft, G., Mehta, N., Clement, S., Evans-Lacko, S., Doherty, M., Rose, D., & Henderson, C. (2016). Evidence for effective interventions to reduce mental-health-related stigma and discrimination. The Lancet, 387(10023)
Williams, D. R., Priest, N., & Anderson, N. B. (2016). Understanding associations among race, socioeconomic status, and health: Patterns and prospects. Health Psychology, 35(4), 407.
