Essay On Racial Disparities

Mental health is an important aspect of one’s overall health but most often than not, it is something that is overlooked by most of the population. This can be due to a multitude of reasons such as a lack of awareness or education regarding mental health, limited access to mental health services, or the stigma surrounding mental health and mental disorders. Unfortunately, there are even racial or ethnic disparities when it comes to the use of mental health services in the U.S., with racial or ethnic minorities less likely to seek mental health services. According to Dobalian and Rivers (2008), these disparities may occur because minorities tend to be less trusting of healthcare providers, the language barriers experienced by recent immigrants,
Williams and his team (1997) stated that “racism is a neglected but central societal force that adversely affects the health of racial and ethnic minority populations” (p. 338). While there are biological factors to race, it is not those factors that contribute to these health problems, but rather, the act of racism experienced by racial minority groups that adversely affects these populations. These impacts of racism are seen at the level of social institutions that shape certain socio-economic opportunities as well as mobility and life chances of these minority groups (Williams, 1997). An intersectional view to further understand this issue can be seen by examining the relationship between race and socioeconomic status (SES). A strong relationship between these two factors exists and Williams (1997) found that “education and especially income were importantly related to all of the health outcomes examined and played a major role in explaining racial differences in health” (p. 347). This makes sense when one considers the fact that those with a lower SES tend to have higher levels of stress which can in turn negatively impact their mental health. By living in poorer areas, these groups might not have access to quality mental health services or even have a lack of awareness or education regarding mental health. Another
“Stressful life experiences lined to race can adversely impact the health of minority populations” (Williams, 1997, p. 338). When people experience discrimination based on their race or ethnicity, it can create stress that can adversely affect their physical and mental health. Unfortunately, racism is something that has been a part of society for centuries and is deeply rooted in everyday interactions and social institutions. Members of a racial minority group may experience micro-aggressions almost every day which can slowly take a toll on their mental health. Williams (1997) stated that “experience of specific incidents of racial bias can generate psychic distress and lead to alterations in psychological processes that can adversely affect health” (p. 338). Another way certain everyday interactions can be detrimental to one’s health was examined by comparing the use of mental health services between poor non-Latino whites and poor Latinos. Poor Latinos were more likely to experiences stress when attempting to utilize mental health services because of language fluency, cultural differences, access to Medicaid, differences in recognition of mental health problems, and lower quality of mental health care (Alegría et.