A Newsletter of the Office of Minority Health

Mental Health and Minorities
September 1997

Twenty years ago, Carmen Hansen-Rivera conducted research that revealed a low use of mental health services by Hispanics. The chief explanation was that services were not tailored to the population’s needs.

Not much has changed. Ms. Hansen-Rivera carried out research that yielded the same results that surfaced years ago. “Only now it seems worse because the Hispanic population in this country is so much bigger,” she said.

A Board member of the Mental Health Association Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana, Ms. Hansen-Rivera helped convene a group of Hispanic community leaders to identify mental health needs and barr iers for this population in the county. She and her colleagues also reviewed data from state agencies to evaluate utilization rates and patterns. Many Hispanics, they discovered, were unaware of the services available to them. “And those who did know about services either didn’t have access to them or didn’t use them because they weren’t culturally and linguistically appropriate,” she said.

As a result of the findings, the United Way of Central Indiana has awarded a Targeted Initiatives Fund grant to the Marion County Mental Health Association, an affiliate of the National Mental Health Association (NMHA). The grant will support the association’s efforts to provide and improve mental health services to Hispanics in the area.

“Hispanics in our county are facing a crisis situation because there have been repeated reports of severe problems with alcohol and other drug abuse,” Hansen-Rivera said. “But what’s happening is that people are being put in jail, and the population’s mental health problems and needs are slipping through the cracks.”

Finding ways to gain the trust and faith of the Hispanic community is the key to effectively delivering mental health services, she added. Since Hispanics often go to their ministers first to discuss problems, the mental health association plans to provide education to ministers. “We’ll teach them how to identify signs of depression and other mental illness,” Hansen-Rivera said. “And we’ll train them to put people in touch with other forms of help when necessary.”

The association will also use the United Way funds to conduct other “train the trainer” sessions. Hispanics will learn to present a program that will help fellow community members improve parenting skills and strengthen their families. Those trained will learn how to deliver a 15-week parent/child nurturing program for approximately 20-24 families. Additionally, the grant will allow for the development of a directory of bilingual, bicultural mental health providers in the county.

“The work in Marion County will not only educate Hispanics there about the availability of mental health services, but also empower them to seek out those services,” according to Judy Leaver, vice president of affiliate services at NMHA.

“Addressing the mental health needs of minority populations is extremely important to NMHA,” Ms. Leaver said. For four years the association has partnered with other organizations on the National Public Education Campaign on Clinincal Depression. The campaign targets specific groups, including African Americans, Hispanics, older Americans, and youth. “The Delta Sigma Theta sorority has really helped to make the outreach to African Americans successful,” Ms. Leaver said. “They are our eyes and ears--our link to the community.”

The minority-focused projects carried out by NMHA affiliates run the gamut, Leaver added. In addition to its work with Hispanics, the Marion County affiliate has reached out to African Americans through a year-long effort called “The African American Family--Mind, Body, and Spirit.” The mental health association of Alameda County, California has established a support group for African American families who have loved ones with mental illness. And the NMHA affiliate in Union County, New Jersey, is active in its efforts to educate Hispanics about recognizing and coping with anxiety disorders.

“Our affiliate activities reflect NMHA’s belief that reaching diverse populations is essential to community mental health,” said Ms. Leaver. “We hope to do even more in the future.”

-Michelle Meadows