Issues in mental health nursing
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Issues Ment Health Nurs · Dec 2005
ReviewStigma: barrier to mental health care among ethnic minorities.
This paper explicates the stigma of mental illness as it is experienced by four ethnic minority groups in the United States. Concerns about prejudice and discrimination among individuals who suffer burdens related to mental illness are delineated. ⋯ The combination of stigma and membership in an ethnic minority group can impede treatment and well-being, creating preventable and treatable mortalities and morbidities. The article concludes with recommendations for research and health policy implications.
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Issues Ment Health Nurs · Dec 2005
Comparative StudyLength of stay, admission types, psychiatric diagnoses, and the implications of stigma in African Americans in the nationwide inpatient sample.
African Americans purportedly have a higher prevalence of mental illnesses but are often misdiagnosed and less likely to seek treatment. Delayed treatment has been associated with the stigma related to these disorders. The demographic characteristics, length of stay, most prevalent psychiatric diagnoses, and hospital admissions of African Americans were compared to other U. ⋯ African American participants were younger, had significantly longer lengths of stay, and were admitted more often through the emergency room than the other groups in this sample. Psychosis, alcohol/drug dependence, and depressive neurosis were the most prevalent psychiatric diagnoses reported for African American participants. Research is needed to explain these results so that strategies can be instituted to improve the poor mental health outcomes often observed in African American populations.