A Newsletter of the Office of Minority Health Mental Health and Minorities September 1997

Message from Dr. Clay E. Simpson, Jr. PhD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health I hope that each of you will increase your efforts to promote equality in health care for all Americans. The Office of Minority Health will be seeking new partners and innovative ways to deliver health information to multicultural communities. Increasingly, minority populations are experiencing increased pressures and societal demands as they strive to cope with such issues as education, welfare reform, alien status, and managed health care. These issues are impacting all citizens in the form of increased bouts of depression, stress, and anxiety disorder. Some people have recently immigrated to the United States and may not be fluent in the English language. This can make it difficult to understand eligibility requirements for needed health services. Many minorities are unemployed and live below the poverty level. In many cases, our constituents do not have access to health care facilities and lack health insurance. Cultural differences often cause anxieties that the majority population may not understand. Cultural competency is an area in which OMH is working diligently. This means that OMH encourages institutions to include cross-cultural curriculum that will train health care professionals to recognize cultural differences, increase their understanding of such differences, and develop awareness that will allow them to provide culturally-appropriate treatment. A stigma toward those suffering from mental illness still exists in our communities. Both patients and providers fail to recognize symptoms, and the condition often goes untreated. When mental illness afflicts minorities, the stigma can be coupled with cultural taboos that may further increase barriers to treatment. Please join OMH in raising awareness of mental health issues in minority communities and bringing treatment to those who need it. Remember to use the OMH Resource Center. Our information specialists can conduct a database search on mental health, and help you obtain information on programs, organizations, and funding sources.