Introduction

Mental health conditions have effects regardless of race, color, gender, or identity. Anyone can experience the challenges of mental illness regardless of their background. Although we are similar, your experiences and how you understand and deal with these conditions may be different. Anyone can develop a mental health problem, but African Americans sometimes experience more severe forms of mental health conditions because of limited resources and other barriers. African Americans are twenty percent more likely to have severe psychological distress than Whites are. Also, African Americans and other minority communities are more likely to have similar experiences, such as barriers from health, educational, social, and economic resources because of cultural and societal factors. These may contribute to worse mental health outcomes. More than half of the people in the United States are being recognized with a mental illness in their lifetime; however, now not everybody will acquire the assistance they need. Even though mental illness is common and might affect everyone, there is still a stigma attached. This stigma creates shame in seeking help, especially in the African American community. The understanding of mental illnesses has come a far way from where it used to be, but improvements have to make. Mental illnesses should not be viewed any differently from physical diseases. I believe the two are very similar. When the mind is ill, it is not just the brain, but it has effects on the whole body and health overall. Substance abuse, self-damage, and suicide are widespread and dangerous in people with mental illness. The stigma connected to mental illness stops people from getting the assistance they need and causes them to cover their pain. Clinically trained social workers are the nation’s largest group of mental health service providers. (Staff, 2016). This is important to social work because social workers push the conversation of mental health forward. Many social workers in the field are first responders to most mental health claims. Also, the stigma of mental illness in the african american community has to change and social workers can be the driving force of a new outlook of mental health. To navigate towards a better views on mental health it is important to understand how we got to this point. Though this text it will discuss the following, what is mental illness, historical information of mental health in the African American community, barriers to mental health in the African American community, also the perspective African Americas have on mental health.

Literature Review

WHAT IS MENTAL ILLNESS

Mental illness is a general term referring to all mental health conditions that involve changes in emotions, thinking, interaction with other people, and behavior in a person. The changes can be caused by different factors, such as genetics, daily habits, environment, biology, and life experiences (McNally, (2011).). Mental illness is diagnosed and treated like any other physical disease. They often lead to significant distress and can alter the ability of a person to function. For a person to be considered as mentally ill, their social, educational, or occupational functioning must have been affected. Daily experiences where one encounters some stressing moments should not be considered like mental illness. When the effects or symptoms are prolonged, though, it has to is treated as a mental illness case. Mental illness includes many types of mental health problems. According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the following classes of mental illnesses are found; bipolar and related disorders, neurodevelopmental disorder, depression, schizophrenia spectrum, psychotic disorders, trauma-related disorders, eating disorders, sexual dysfunction, personality disorders, elimination disorders, somatic symptom and related disorders, sleeping and waking disorders, gender dysphoria, paraphilic disorders, substance-related and addictive disorders, neurocognitive disorders, and disruptive, impulse-control and conduct disorders. Some definitions are found below:

Depression: has been one of the most common mental disorders. It is estimated that about 300 million people in the world are affected by depression. As compared to men, more women are more prone to depression. A chronic type of depression is a persistent depressive disorder, also known as dysthymia. A person with this disorder might experience symptoms for up to two years. In America, about 1.5 percent of adults are said to experience dysthymia each year. Clinical depression, also called major depressive disorder, is experienced through extreme sadness, feelings, and hopelessness. People experiencing clinical depression might think about or attempt to commit suicide. Seven percent of Americans are said to experience at least one major clinical depression episode per year. Depression may be characterized by displeasure, sadness, guilty feelings, and low self-worth, poor concentration, tiredness, disturbed appetite, and disturbed sleep. Depression is treatable through therapy and the use of antidepressants for severe cases.

Schizophrenia: is a psychosis mental disorder that affects how a person perceives reality. It is characterized by distorted thoughts, language, behavior, and sense of self. Everyday experiences may include hallucinations whereby they hear, see, and feel things that do not exist, and delusional with false beliefs and suspicions firmly held on to when there is really nothing. In the world, it affects 23 million people, while in America, about 1 percent of the population is estimated to have schizophrenic experiences. Persons experiencing schizophrenia may experience stigma and discrimination hence resulting in a lack of access to health or social services. They’re also at high risk of being exposed to human rights violations leading to being confined in institutions for a longer time. It can begin from as early as adolescence or in young adults. Schizophrenia is treatable with appropriate medicines as well as psychosocial support.

Bipolar affective disorder: is a mental illness that is characterized by manic and depressive episodes with an in-between of regular mood periods; a person with bipolar disorder experiences episodes of manic highs, energetic, and depressive lows. The person’s energy levels are affected, elevated moods, the pressure of speech, decreased need for sleep, inflated self-esteem, and they cannot reason. Bipolar disorder causes extremely severe mood swings, which are not comparable to the small ups and downs experienced daily. Bipolar disorder affects 60 million people in the world, while in America, about 2.6 percent of the people are affected yearly. Medicines to stabilize the moods are used for treatment during the acute phase and to prevent relapse.

Development disorders: these include pervasive developmental disorders such as autism and intellectual disability. They usually begin during childhood but can continue into adulthood, resulting in delayed functions in relation to the maturation of the central nervous system. As compared to other mental health illnesses, developmental disorders are characterized by following a steady course as opposed to occurring in periods. The primary characteristic is the impairment of skills in developmental areas such as adaptive behavior and cognitive functioning. In autism, there is impaired communication and language, social behavior, and carrying out activities repetitively. Persons affected by these disorders need the support of family in setting up environments that they are comfortable and setting daily routines that are not disrupted as well as identifying where they can learn better.

Dementia: is the result of deterioration in cognitive function, the processing of thoughts, which is more than what is expected as one age normally. It usually affects one’s ability to comprehend, remember, calculate, learning, language, and judging. These impairments lead to a lack of emotional control, deteriorated social behavior, and motivation. Stroke can contribute to dementia.

Anxiety disorder: is the type of disease that is more than usual anxiety experienced on a daily basis. A person with this condition tend to worry about many things, sometimes with no reason to worry at all. People with this condition are often afraid that things will never work out in their favor.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): is a mental illness that results from one experiencing traumatic events in their lives. These experiences can range from war or national disasters to physical or verbal abuse.

Common signs of other mental illnesses may include: having insomnia or too much sleep, depriving oneself of food or overeating, feelings of fatigue without doing much, numbness, experiences of unexplainable pains in the body, feelings of hopelessness, indulging in drinking, smoking, or drug abuse, feelings of confusion, irritability, anxiety, anger, and forgetfulness. These symptoms help the physicians to come up with a diagnosis so as to give the right treatment.

Mental illnesses treatments are aimed to reduce the symptoms while making the condition to be manageable. It may include medications such as antidepressants, anti-anxiety, mood-stabilizing, and antipsychotic drugs. Psychotherapy, hospitalized care, and lifestyle treatment is other forms of treatment.