Press Releases: Southern California
September 13, 2005
Mental Illness & Ethnic Minorities
Ethnic minorities are less likely to seek treatment, and systemic
barriers keep them from accessing care. In 1997, 24 percent
of Caucasians with depression received treatment, compared to
20 percent of Latinos and 16 percent of African Americans with
depression.
Source: Mental Health America.
Elderly Hispanics and African Americans have higher rates of
depression than their white counterparts, due largely to greater
health burdens and lack of health insurance.
Source: Northwestern University News Release, “Among Elderly,
Depression More Prevalent in Hispanics and Blacks.” Nov.
2003.
Living in poverty has the most measurable effect on the rates
of mental illness. People in the lowest socioeconomic status
are about two to three times more likely than those in the highest
strata to have a mental disorder.
Source: 1999 supplement to the Surgeon General’s report
on Mental Health.
Latinos are identified as a high-risk group for depression,
anxiety, and substance abuse.
Source: Quality Health Services for Hispanics: The Cultural
Competency Component. National Alliance for Hispanic Health,
2001.
There are higher rates of mental illness among U.S. born and
long-term residents than among recent Latino immigrants. A study
found conclusively that long-term residence in the United States
significantly increased rates in mental disorders, with particularly
dramatic increases in the rates of substance abuse.
Source: Vega, W.A.; Kolody, B.; Aguilar-Gaxiola, S., et al.
Lifetime Prevalence of DSM-III-R Psychiatric Disorders Among
Urban and Rural Mexican Americans in California. Archives of
General Psychiatry. 1998; 55(9):771-778.
Across a recent 15 year span, suicide rates increased 233%
among African Americans aged 10 to 14 compared to 120% among
Caucasian Americans in the same age group across the same span
of time.
Source: National Alliance on Mental Illness. “African American Community Mental
Health Fact Sheet.”
Culture biases against mental health professionals and health
care professionals in general prevent many African Americans
from accessing care due to prior experiences with historical
misdiagnoses, inadequate treatment, and a lack of cultural understanding;
only 2% or psychiatrists, 2% of psychologists and 4% of social
workers in the U.S. are African Americans.
Source: National Alliance on Mental Illness. “African American Community Mental
Health Fact Sheet.”
Somatization – the manifestation of physical illnesses
related to mental health – occurs at a rate of 15% among
African Americans, and 9% among Caucasian Americans.
Source: National Alliance on Mental Illness. “African American Community Mental
Health Fact Sheet.”
While the rate of bipolar disorder is the same among African
Americans as it is among other Americans, African Americans
are less likely to receive a diagnosis and, therefore, treatment
for this illness.
Source: Mental Health America
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health plan. Founded in 1945, it is a nonprofit, group practice prepayment program with Southern California headquarters in Pasadena, California. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care needs of 3.3 million members in Southern California. Today it encompasses the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries, and the for-profit Southern California Permanente Medical Group. Kaiser Permanente's Southern California Region includes more than 49,900 technical, administrative and clerical employees and caregivers, and more than 6,000 physicians representing all specialties. More information about Kaiser Permanente can be found at kaiserpermanente.org.
