Transcript mental illness in african american women

MENTAL ILLNESS IN AFRICAN
AMERICAN WOMEN
AFR ANTHONETH JEFFREY
1502 SEC E868 (80403)
PROFESSOR COVERT
12-18-20
THESIS
Depression and panic disorder in African-American
women between the ages of 15-40 is misdiagnosed,
underdiagnosed and undertreated because; they are
afraid to disclose information about their condition
to others to others because of the stigma attached to
the disease; race and socioeconomic status
determines the type of treatment they will receive,
and the model used to evaluate and treat these
illnesses does not cater for the specific needs of many
Affrican-American women.
What is depression
 It is a serious medical condition, and much more
than feeling sad or having the blues.
 It disrupts your mood, sleep, appetite, concentration,
social interaction, activities and normal daily
functions.
 It may occur as a one time experience, but in many
cases it recurs throughout ones’ lifetime.
Cause of depression
 Genetics
 Biochemical
 Environment
 Psychological
Stressors
 They are look at as being inferior to white women
 Treated unfairly
 Placed at the bottom of the ladder in relation to sex,
class and race, regardless if they share equal socioeconomical status.
Cont’d
 Poverty
 Domestic abuse
 Single parenthood
 Not having a companion
 Loneliness
Symptoms of depression
 Constant irritability, persistent sadness
 Feelings of hopelessness and guilt
 Drastic change in eating and sleeping patterns
 Persistent thoughts of death and suicide
 Lost of interest in things that was once enjoyable
 Headaches, chronic pain, and digestive disorder that
won’t go away even after treatment.
Treatment Options
 Medication
 Psychotherapy
 Cognitive behavioral therapy
 Interpersonal therapy
 Electroconvulsive therapy
Evaluation Process
 The evaluation process for depression in African
American is done by identifying symptoms that are
normally associated with white women. This leads to
misdiagnosis.
Depression affects over 20 million people every year,
and is the number one reason for suicide in the
United States. In most cases depression can be
successfully treated once caught. Unfortunately, only
12% of affected African American seek help or
treatment. This leads to under-diagnosis and undertreatment of the disease.
A study conducted by the National Survey of
American life on racial, ethnic and cultural
influences on mental health and mental disorder
discovered that the African American community has
a history of clinging to secrets, lies and shame
originating from slavery. They have also adopted into
their culture the avoidance of emotions as a strategy
for survival.
reasons for keeping their illness a secret
 Fear of hurting their family
 It may destroy their career
 They may be looked at as being crazy (a big one)
 Can’t appear to be weak
 Feeling of shame
 Some women are unaware of the symptoms of
depressions.
 Some believe that the church and prayer is the
solution
Under treatment
 Insufficient providers with the knowledge of black
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culture
Not enough black health care providers
No insurance, or they are underinsured
Denial of the illness
Uneasy about the humiliation attached to the use of
medication
Fact Sheet & video
 http://www.psych.org/practice/professional-
interests/diversityomna/diversity-resources
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF1t47D8MXE
References
Craig, C. D., Hunn, V. L. (2009, April). Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development:

Depression, sociocultural factors, and African American women. Vol 37(2), 83-93.
Heidrich, S. M., Ward, E. C. (2009, October). National Institute Of Health: Res Nurs Health. African
American women’s belief about mental illness, stigma, and preferred coping behaviors. 32(5),
480-492. doi 10.1002/nur.20344
National Alliance of Mental Health (2009, Oct). African American women and depression: Fact sheet
Retrieved from:
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Women_and_Depression&Template=/ContentMan
agement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=88884
Youtube: Black women and depression. Retrieved from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF1t47D8MXE
American Psychiatric Association (2010). Office of Minority and National Affairs: Mental health
disparities: African American: Fact Sheet. Retrieved from:
http://www.psych.org/practice/professional-interests/diversityomna/diversity-resources