Bipolar Disorder and Minorities

Bipolar Disorder and Minorities

Every person regardless of race should seek help if they have a mental health problem or
symptoms of a mental disorder.

A large number of Inner city young people have seen someone shot or stabbed. Exposure to community violence, as victim or witness, leaves immediate and long-term effects on mental health, especially for youthAn Ethnic View of Mental Illness
Mental health issues facing four ethnic groups, including African Americans, American Indians and Alaskan Natives, Asians and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanic Americans They all face a social and economic environment of inequality that takes its toll on mental health.
If these people happen to be poor a lack of access to treatment mistrust of the system, stigma, communication difficulties, and stereotyping.
African Americans and Latinos felt their healthcare provider treated them badly because of race or economic background as opposed to whites.
In some Asian cultures, mental illness is thought to reflect badly on family and diminishes marriage and economic prospects for other members.
African Americans are overdiagnosed for schizophrenia and underdiagnosed for bipolar disorder
African Americans and Asians in general are slow metabolizers of certain antipsychotics and antidepressents Physicians unaware of this may prescribe doses that are too high, resulting in severe side effects and unwilliness to continue in treatment
American Indians and Native Alaskans do not have a doctor or clinic that can provide regular or preventive health care.
Many Southeast Asian refugees are at grave risk as a result of the traumas they experienced for Vietnamese for Cambodians for Laotians losing a lot of their population in war.
Mexican immigrants had lower prevalence rates for depression and other disorders than Mexican Americans born in the US.
Hispanics
In California latinos will outnumber whites. this "minority" will be in a majority with whites Strong family attachments, supportive community networks, and deep spiritual/religious convictions. of those with severe mental illness Those who responded to treatment were latinos and African-Americans living with their families, as opposed to whites
interventions targeted to specific cultural groups were more effective than non-targeted interventions and that those conducted in a client's native language were more effective as those conducted in English.In addition, Dr Barrio pointed out, families from third-world nations tend to manifest lower "expressed emotions," such as hostilities. Acceptance and warmth in Mexican-American families, for instance, predict better outcomes from schizophrenia.
American Indians
American Indians/Alaskan natives now reside in urban areas. Indians are moving to the cities for the same reasons the rest of us do - jobs and education.
Indian life expectancy, is less than non-natives, a Where the death rates are significantly lower among older men than their counterparts among other races), diabetes higher unintentional injuries homicide and suicide very high in the young population but lower in elders than the general population
Elders in the Indian had their culture as forced boarding schools banned spiritual practices and loss of land Barriers to mental health include differences in cultural beliefs about mental illness cultural labeling of different emotions lack of mental health professionals in the system lack of large scale studies and lack of cultural orientation for providers such as in the healing traditions Rarely do elders seek out available mental health services.
Asians and Pacific Islands
among other things Asian elders are confronted by a difference between how Asians and Americans view the elderly The family matriariac may find herself a stranger in a strange land even within her own family especially if dealing with Americanized children and grandchildren.
Asian Americans whose families experience a high interpersonal conflict have a greater risk of attempting suicide compared to the general Asian population. T even among those who never had a history of depression the strength of family values in Asian communities Family harmonyis a value coming from Confucianist and Taoist beliefs
Since depression is often caused by problems in life clients need help regaining a sense of control and thereby improve their mood people who are engaged in social activities have less depression than those not engaged.
African Americans
It is said that a majority of African American children are raised in poverty. African Americans earn lower than the median income They are more likely than whites to pay out of pocket, and their treatment is more likely to be terminated quickly.
But they end up in the hospital more and are more likely to be treated with old generation antipschotics Doctors tend to misinterpret cultural traits as psychotic features such as speech idioms while underdiagnosing for bipolar and depression. Some African Americans distrust the mental health system and do not seek out help
Ironically, black people are experiencing higher rates of depression and suicide at a time when they are entering the middle class in increasing numbers. Young blacks also account for a large part of all homicide deaths in America in what can be described as a form of suicide
Although great strength allowed black people to survive slavery and discrimination but the idea that black men and women can easily handle burdens that would psychologically crush other people has been overated
Poverty
When depression hits someone in the middle class it's relatively easy to recognize. You are doing your everyday business then suddenly you begin feeling bad all the time and when you crash you attract the attention of your friends, coworkers, and family.
For the poor it just goes with the territory most people just take it as just a part of life for the have nots

Most of the Heads of households receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children are clinical depressed and pregnant welfare mothers are in the same condition.