Racial, Ethnic, And Socio Economical Disparities Of Mental...

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Treatment Paige S. Hogeland Denver School of Nursing Racial, Ethnic, and Socio-economical Disparities in Mental Health Mental health has been a recurring topic in present society and it is a very large section of health care in general. Health can be termed as an absence of disease, but it really is much more than that and should encompass every facet of the human, mind and body. The WHO defines mental health as a state of well-being in which an individual can function properly and productively, cope with life stressors, and contribute to community. Mental health is dependent on many factors, mainly social, biological, and psychological (WHO). A mental disorder is a condition of alterations†¦show more content†¦In 2012, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported an estimated 9.6 million adults in the United States had a Serious Mental Illness. Of this 4% of the population, 4.9% were female, 3.2% male. Race varies greatly with about 8.5% of the population being American Indian/Alaska native. Hispanics, whites, and tho se identifying as two or more races make up about 4.3% each. Black is 3.4%, Asian 2%, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander is 1.8% (Serious Mental Illness (SMI), 2012.). Of the individuals that have a mental illness, not all experience disparity in treatment access.. Mental disorders are largely undertreated in America in general by all races and backgrounds and now there is more awareness of this public health need (Kohn-Wood Hooper, 2014). In the past decade, disparities between whites and non-whites have increased, most notably between whites and Latinos and whites and blacks. There are numerous discussions on the possible explanations for this finding, a few being: limited access in the neighborhoods in which the population lives, socioeconomic status, treatment modality preference, and race/ethnic background of provider (Ault-Brutus Alexis, 2012). SMIs that go untreated are highly contributed to the development of other serious health concerns like obesity, diabetes, c ancer, cardiovascular disease, COPD, and many more (De Hert et al., 2011). Access to