Thesis for health disparities free essay sample

Disparities in Mental Health Care with Regards to Racial and Ethnic Cofactors There are many significant differences among racial and ethnic groups pertaining to mental health and mental health services. Via this topic, disparities among racial and ethnic groups have arisen and been studied and researched in magnitude. Mental health disparities among racial and ethnic groups can be attributed, but not limited to: access to health care, quality of care received, and the cost variances of mental health services among differing racial and ethnic groups. Research and data statistics have been obtained that focus on the underlying factors contributing to the disparities of each of these key points. Access to health care, quality of care, and cost variances among ethnicities will be discussed in depth independently. Laterally, emphasis will also been placed on preventative measures that may be implemented in order to lessen the gap in mental health care outcomes between different socioeconomic groups. We will write a custom essay sample on Thesis for health disparities or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to Mental Health Services. Through ample studies and research, it has been concluded that there are indeed significant differences in mental health services among racial and ethnic groups. But where do the variances originate? Many factors influence the disparities of racial and ethnic mental health care, and equality can be significantly obscured from the very beginning of the spectrum. Cook, McGuire, and Miranda (2007) conducted a study based on the Institute of Medicine definition of racial-ethnic disparities. Data was obtained from the Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys. Trends in data were examined over 2000-2001 and 2003-2004 and compared respectively. One point of interest in this study was the measurements of any mental health visit made by African Americans, Hispanics, and white Americans over these two specific trend periods. These data revealed a descending trend in the mental health care access amongst African-American-white and Hispanic-white populations over the studied time periods. It can be inferred that the overall mental health system provides less care/access of care to minority African-Americans and Hispanics than it offers to whites. An additional study by Howell (2008) examined disparities in treatment seeking among ethnicities, more specifically emphasizing the differences in youth in rural and urban areas. The research in this particular study signifies that there are marginal differences in the receipt of mental health care among racial minority groups and their counterparts. Hispanic and black children proved to receive less mental health services than their white youth counterparts in urban areas. Further, the disparity is parallel in Hispanic children in rural areas. It is suggested by this study that the recognition of disparities among minority youth is essential to correcting the issue. Howell proposes that parents, teachers, and other community members should implicate methods to push for equalization of mental health services in both rural and urban areas. According to Solway, Estes, Goldberg, and Berry (2010), access of mental health treatment is directly related to factors other than simply incompetency or lack of uniformity across the health services spectrum. This study takes a look at racial and ethnic disparities in a group of older, racially diverse adults and their relative mental health accessibility. In the compiled list of explanations for accessibility, Solway et al. (2010) state that for some older generations in various ethnicities, accessibility is an option. The older people of some ethnic groups view mental health detriments as a norm that comes along with old age. Due to the â€Å"normality† of mental degeneration and aging, they look to family members for support and rely on traditions such as home remedies and osteopathic-type therapies as opposed to seeking professional treatment and prescribed medication. Because some ethnicities’ elderly populations use this tactic, there is lower demand for mental health professionals, thus a smaller supply. This article describes accessibility of mental care as an â€Å"option† rather than a deficit of adequate mental health care providers. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Utilization of Mental Health Care One of the key factors that contribute to the disparities of mental health care among racial and ethnic groups is the differing percentages within populations that actually seek and utilize mental health services with respect to each group. Furthermore, there are specific motives that cause an individual or group of individuals to seek mental health treatment or, alternatively, decide against it. Shim, Compton, Rust, Druss, and Kaslow (2009) constructed a study that observed data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Their findings accentuated the decisions of racial and ethnic groups on whether or not to seek mental health care based on attitudes and perspectives of mental care. The study compared minority groups to non-Hispanic whites and the rates at which each group sought treatment. Shim et al. (2009) proved that race-ethnicity was a contributing factor to attitudes towards seeking mental treatment. It was concluded that African-Americans, Hispanics, and Latinos had a more positive attitude and greater willingness towards seeking mental health services, and therefore obtained a greater amount of care with respect to non-Hispanic whites. Coinciding, the same minority groups had lesser reported embarrassment of seeking treatment. Alvidrez, Shumway, Morazes, and Boccellari (2011) provide results of a study they conducted explicitly on females seeking mental treatment following sexual assault victimization. The study examined a sample group of 104 women of white, black, Latin, or other ethnicities that had been sexually assaulted. The focus was turned to women who pursued mental health treatment (offered free of charge) after they had been a victim of sexual assault. The conclusions of this research draw to the fact that even though all ethnic groups sampled were equal in terms of needing mental health attention after such a tragic event, black women were less likely to follow up their assault with mental care than white women. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Treatment and Quality of Mental Health Care Two key areas thus far have been the general foci of racial disparities in mental illness treatment; accessibility and utilization. Perhaps the subject matter that contributes to the most substantial differences in mental health services among race is the actual treatment itself; the inconsistencies in quality of care by the provider. Data obtained from the National Comorbidity Survey from 1990-2003 exposes greater disparities in mental health care quality pertaining to ethnic minority groups relative to whites (Ault-Brutus, 2012). A large part of these said disparities can be paid due to bias. Bias is pinpointed to be the main source of detriment in areas such as questionable diagnostic practices and limited provisions of optimum treatments. A particular article written by Snowden (2003) describes bias in health care, the different levels it is derived from; practitioners, practice networks, and communities, and how it negatively effects certain ethnic groups. He claims that one possibility for the intrusion of bias into mental health care services occurs when â€Å"†¦practitioners and mental health program administrators make unwarranted judgments about people on the basis of race or ethnicity. In a strict sense, it is these unwarranted views, reactions to a person ‘on the basis of perceived membership in a single human category, ignoring other category memberships and other personal attributes,’ that constitute bias†. Further elaborating on this view, McGuire and Miranda (2008) say that if a mental health practitioner exhibits some bias towards an individual of a certain ethnicity they impose discriminatory actions by exerting less effort in diagnosis and treatment. Their inappropriate expectations lead to inappropriate decisions and actions. Ault-Brutus (2012) suggests that more specified programs and policies should be implemented in order to increase mental health care quality among individuals from racial-ethnic minorities. Conclusion: Preventative Measures to Eliminate Disparities among Races and Ethnicities in Mental Health Care It is apparent that there are several underlying factors contributing to the disparities in mental health care among differing racial-ethnic groups. Accessibility to mental health care can attribute to the varying levels of health care received between minority and majority groups. The utilization or perceived usefulness of mental health treatment can also contribute to higher or lower levels of mental health care. Where some ethnic groups see it necessary that mental help be easily attainable, others see it as a trivial service to their own home remedies, traditions, and family support systems. Lastly, and arguably the most significant factor in racial disparities, quality of care administered to patients of different ethnicities can skew the equality substantially. So how do we go about lessening the gap between health services received by minority groups versus majority groups? One way is to make sure that the physicians administering professional treatment are aware of the present disparities and that they are making a conscious effort to eliminate negative attitudes geared towards any one racial or ethnic group when performing treatment. In a study by Mallinger and Lambert (2010), 374 random psychiatrists were pulled for observation and questioning on this particular topic. Most of the studied psychiatrists stated that they were either completely unaware or hardly familiar with the topic of mental health care disparities among racial groups. Other tactics of closing the gap between racial and ethnic groups in regards to mental health care could be to implement plans that target minority groups and publicize the issue of inequality in health services to minority groups. A standard could be set and monitored by government ran agencies that equalize mental health services across the board. Peng (2009) suggests that â€Å"†¦interventions in the form of, for example, policies to eliminate institutional forms of discrimination, to improve economic conditions for poverty or low income groups or, at the local level, to build community capital within minority neighborhoods with the aim of fostering health† are some starting points for creating equality among mental health care in all ethnicities. Mental health disparities among racial and ethnic groups are an obvious concern that can negatively affect many groups across the map. It should be the role of the community to take preventative action to impose equality in health care for all.