Mental Health &
Cultural Competence
What is mental health?
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.
What is mental illness?
Mental illnesses are conditions that affect a person’s thinking, feeling, mood or behavior, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Such conditions may be occasional or long-lasting (chronic) and affect someone’s ability to relate to others and function each day.
How common are mental illnesses?
Mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions in the United States. 1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year.
1 in 25 Americans lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.
Cultural
Competence in Mental Health
"...cultural differences influence every individual, both provider and client. With the proper training for mental health workers and educational materials for members of minority populations, culturally sensitive services can be effective in treating and possibly preventing episodes of acute mental illness."
- The UPenn Collaborative on Community Integration
Mental Health Research—
Diversity Matters
"Like the causes, the consequences of mental illnesses differ for minorities as well. Nowhere is this more evident than for one of the most devastating effects of mental illnesses: suicide."
- National Institute of Mental Health
Improving
Cultural
Competence
"Cultural competence is not acquired in a limited timeframe or by learning a set of facts about specific populations; cultures are diverse and continuously evolving. Developing cultural competence is an ongoing process that begins with cultural awareness and a commitment to understanding the role that culture plays in behavioral health services."
- Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration