Promoting Positive Outcomes through Targeted Communication within Cultural Groups

Promoting Positive Outcomes through Targeted Communication within Cultural Groups
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Promoting Positive Outcomes through Targeted Communication within Cultural Groups
Abstract
Mental health and mental disorders are some of the key issues addressed in Healthy People 2020. Suicide is also a specific area of interest under mental health and the objective of Healthy People 2020 is to reduce the rate of suicide in America. However, currently, the rate of suicide continues to rise, and more so among people from ethnic and racial minority groups. This is because of mental health disparities. This paper explores narrative communication as a targeted communication strategy that can increase the uptake of mental health services to reduce mental health disparities and suicidal tendencies among the said population.
Chosen Topic Area and Specific Health Issue
One of the topics covered in the Healthy People 2020 health issue is mental health and mental disorders. Mental disorders are among the top diseases that have created a heavy burden on the healthcare system in the United States (US) (HealthyPeople.gov, 2020). Some of the common mental health disorders include depression, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Mental health disorders and illnesses have a serious impact on individuals, families, and the nation. For children and adolescents, it affects their academic achievement. It can lead to drug abuse, violence, and suicide if not addressed. HealthyPeople.gov (2020) indicates that about 20% of children and adolescents in the US develop a mental disorder at some point in their life. Also, very few US adults (approximately 17%) enjoy favorable mental health. These statistics are alarming and to make things even more challenging, the situation is not improving. The midcourse review conducted to assess the progress made towards achieving the targets on mental health and mental health disorder indicates that the status of mental health is getting worse (HealthyPeople.gov, 2020).
The specific health issue that will be addressed in this paper is suicide. Suicide is one of the leading health indicators for mental health and mental disorder. The objective of Healthy People 2020 is to reduce the rate of suicide from 11.3 suicides per 100,000 people to 10.2 suicides per 100,000 people (HealthyPeople.gov, 2020). Another objective is to reduce the number of suicide attempts by adolescents. However, the rate of suicide has gradually increased over the years. As of 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2020) indicate that the suicide rate was 14.2 per 100,000. Also, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. The issue of interest in this paper is that while mental health issues and suicide affect many Americans, there are health disparities associated with suicide among different cultural groups. Kreps (2017) reveals that health disparities among ethnic and racial minorities have contributed to the worst mental health outcomes and suicidal behavior.
Causes of Disparities
As indicated by Cheref, Lane, Polanco-Roman, Gadol, & Miranda (2015) racial and ethnic minorities in the US are at a greater risk of developing suicidal behavior and tendencies when compared to the White people. They also experience poorer mental health outcomes due to health disparities (Kreps, 2017). These health disparities are caused by a number of issues. Racial and ethnic minorities have limited access to mental health services when compared to their White counterparts (Maura & Mamani, 2017). This limited access stems from a lack of medical insurance coverage among racial minorities. Also, the socio-economic status of racial and ethnic minorities affect their access to mental health services because they either cannot afford to take time off to seek medical assistance or they lack the resources to cater for transport and other logistics needed to get an appointment with a mental healthcare provider. Another cause of disparities related to mental health issues and suicide rates within racial minorities is poor utilization of mental health services (Maura & Mamani, 2017). Racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to seek outpatient psychiatric services when compared to White people in the Country. This is because racial and ethnic minorities have a negative attitude towards mental health and rarely seek help due to fear of stigmatization (Maura & Mamani, 2017). Other than stigmatization, religion, limited family involvement, and cultural differences discourage racial and ethnic minorities from seeking mental healthcare services (Maura & Mamani, 2017). These factors affect minorities more than their Whites counterpart, hence the existence of mental health disparities among these populations. Also, these populations have cited that the quality of care they receive is poorer than that given to the Whites. Maura and Mamani (2017) reveal that Blacks with severe mental illness rarely receive treatment for co-occurring depression, yet their White counterparts do. This perception is associated with lack of confidence with healthcare providers and their services when it comes to mental health issues and suicide ideation.
Health Communication Strategy to Reduce Disparities
The use of sympathetic narrative as a communication strategy to reduce mental health disparities among the affected populations is suggested. Sympathetic narratives involve the use of stories to humanize the challenges that people with mental health issues and suicide ideation go through (McGinty, Pescosolido, Kennedy-Hendricks, & Barry, 2018). This communication strategy will not only highlight their challenges in terms of the struggles they experience with mental health issues and the barriers they encounter to address mental illness and suicidal tendencies. According to McGinty, Pescosolido, Kennedy-Hendricks, and Barry (2018), sympathetic narratives are very effective in reducing stigmatization and in creating an understanding of the issues being addressed. Sympathetic narratives elicit feelings of sympathy such that people stop thinking that an individual is at fault when they develop suicidal ideation and other mental health-related issues. Also, sympathetic narratives increase the...