top of page
Search

Minority Mental Health

Updated: Feb 6, 2023

Before jumping to 'Minority Mental Health', let us have a brief about what actually 'Mental Health' is and why does it essentially matter for any individual in dealing with his or her way of living and lifestyles, with the perspectives of 'Positive Psychology' & 'Holism'.

Later, we will be covering the Fundamentals of 'Minority Mental Health', which are:


Why Is Mental Health Essential?


The functioning of the human body heavily depends on one's brain. Whether a task is small or big, all decisions and thought processes are to be made through the mind.


What is Mental Health?

Loosely speaking, our mental health affects how we think, feel, and act. World Health Organisation (WHO) has defined mental health as, "A state of well-being, in which the individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, is able to make a contribution to their community."



Mental Health is influenced by many lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, stress, drug abuse, social connections and interactions.


To avoid problems related to Mental Health, it is necessary that we are completely aware of it. Many times a person going through this situation does not even know or feel free to express that he or she is suffering from some kind of mental problem. During this phase, the ability of people to work, their behaviour and quality of life together are badly affected. This is such a problem which is very important to avoid.



Therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurse practitioners, or family physicians can help to manage mental illness with treatments such as therapy, counseling or medication. Treatment can involve both medications and psycho-therapy, depending on the disease and its severity. At this stage, most mental illnesses cannot be cured, but they can usually be treated effectively to minimize the symptoms and allow the individual to function in work, school, or social environments.


The Perspectives of Positive Psychology and Holism for Mental Health

Mental Health may include an individual's ability to live and enjoy life, while maintaining a balance between life activities and efforts, in order to achieve psychological resilience.


Perspective of Positive Psychology


'Positive Psychology' is a relatively new branch of psychology that shifts the focus from what is clinically wrong to the promotion of well-being, and the creation of a satisfying life enriched with meaning, pleasure, engagement, positive relationships and accomplishment.



In Psychology, the term 'Holism' is an approach to understanding the human mind and behaviour, that focuses on looking at things as a whole. It is often compared with reductionism, which instead tries to break things down into their smallest parts, as possible.


What is Minority Mental Health?


Minority, a culturally, ethnically, or racially distinct group that co-exists with but is subordinate to a more dominant group. As the term is used in the social sciences, this act of subordination is the chief defining characteristic of a minority group.


Mental health conditions do not discriminate related to any race, colour, gender or identity. Anyone can experience the challenges of the mental illness irrespective of their background. However, background and identity can make access to mental health treatment much more difficult.


The mental health of minorities also degrades due to a common condition called 'alienation, which in spite of being complex in both the sociological and psychological fields, affects our health and provokes existing medical conditions. Also, in this condition, a person withdraws or becomes isolated from his/her living environment or from other people, and hence rejecting loved ones or society. In its critical conditions, the people often show feelings of distance and estrangement, including from their own emotions.


The rate of mental illness in minority communities seems to be much lower than in white communities, but many researchers believe this has to do with the Cultural Stigma of having a Mental Illness'.



'Bebe Moore Campbell' (died in November 27, 2006) being an author, advocate, co-founder of NAMI Urban Los Angeles and national spokesperson, started this 'Minority Mental Health Month' moment. She received NAMI's 2003 Outstanding Media Award for Literature.


National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month offers organizations an opportunity to create mental health awareness in diverse communities developed by Mental Health America (MHA).


Though this moment is especially taken into attention in the month of July, mental health care should be made compulsory for all minorities, throughout the year. And, this is the thing we prominently needed to be aware of and bring a change towards it.


Reasons For Minorities Facing Mental Health Illness



Racial/ethnic, gender, and sexual minorities often suffer from poor mental health outcomes due to multiple factors including inaccessibility of high-quality mental health care services, the cultural stigma surrounding mental health care, discrimination, and overall lack of awareness about mental health.


Challenges Faced by Minorities

Minorities are less likely to receive diagnosis and treatment for their mental illness, have less access to mental health services and often receive a poorer quality of mental health care.


The challenges that minorities face with mental health, starts with education. 'Substance Abuse' and other mental health disorders aren't more widespread within minorities, as they aren't problems that affect minorities alone. Instead, environmental and cultural factors like discrimination, poverty which perpetuate trauma, racism and social norms, together make it more difficult to get the help that’s really needed.


Primacy of Minority Mental Health

It's been found that when Minorities are introduced to 'Minority Mental Health Awareness Program':

  1. They frequently feel valued and embraced by the members of their own minority group

  2. They maintain lower levels of anxiety and fewer symptoms of depression overall

  3. A clear benefit and with many positive outcomes, as expected


Culminating Minority Mental Health with Positive Outcomes


Poor mental health care access and quality of care contribute to poor mental health outcomes, including suicide, among racial and ethnic minority populations. Hence, to overcome these issues, 'Minority Mental Health' is vital towards the minorities.


Mental Health Care shouldn't be treated as a luxury, rather it should be treated as a basic necessity that everyone deserves.


 


References:

14,264 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments

bottom of page