Why Chicanos Should Use Psychological Resources

Dispelling the Uncertainties and Validity of Psychology

What is Psychology?

Psychology is the systemic study of mental process and behavior by using biology and culture. This means examining the person's biological functions, psychological experience and function, and the cultural and historical moment in order to understand a person (Weston 3).

What is the difference between a Psychologist and a Psychiatrist?

The main difference is a psychologist has a doctorate in the subject, while a psychiatrist has a medical doctorate and can prescribe medication.

Why is psychology important?

"Depression is more debilitating than many chronic medical conditions: hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and is comparable to heart disease"

(Dwyer, Eleanor Valdes and Kurt C. Organista, 119).

Like other Latinas, I was skeptical to believe that psychology was a science until I enrolled in a class in which I found myself studying the function of the eye, brain, and central nervous system as well as the signs of alcoholism, schizophrenia, depression, and other mental illnesses. Psychology is not just about "madness" or "crazy people".

In Disease and Representation: Images of Illness from Madness to AIDS, our common misconceptions are unmasked by the explanation of how such stereotypes evolve:

"Most of the mentally ill in no way correspond to our stereotypes of them, but the perception of the small number of the mentally ill as the embodiment of our image of the 'mad' causes us to place all of the mentally ill into the greater category of the 'dangerous lunatics'. The result is one that is seen every day: the suppression of information about mental illness, since it misperceived as a stigma in our society ; the isolation of the mentally ill as if they had contagion or the avoidance of them if they themselves in public view; the sense that the mentally ill form another world that is beyond, or below, or outside of our own. Mental illness is part of the potential of the human condition" (Gilman, 16)

What are the Signs of Poor Mental Health?

Somatization

Somatization is the unexplainable pains throughout the body that are a manifestation of mental unease. For example, after a heated argument often some people may suffer from head or stomach aches which have not been caused by physical or biological reasons.

Depression

In four separate studies, Latinos have a higher risk of for depression than the general population (Dwyer, Eleanor Valdes and Kurt C. Organista, 120-121). Generally for Latinos, emotional and environmental stressors are economic factors such as crowded living conditions, domestic violence, and lack of money for bills following injury and illness (Dwyer, Eleanor Valdes and Kurt C. Organista, 122).

Signs to Recognize

Affective	Cognitive
Depressed mood, feeling sad, despondent, gloomy Anxiety Decreased capacity to experience pleasure Feelings of worthlesness, self-reproach, shame	Retardations of speech and thought Loss of interest in work, usual activities Diminished ability to think or concentrate Fall in self-esteem Pessimism and helplessness
Behavior	Physical Functioning
Changes in posture Indifferent grooming Agitation Restlessness Decreased sexual activity Bodily complaints	Change in appetite, usually leading to weight loss Loss of energy Fatigue, lethargy Thoughts of death
	(Travis, 40)

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a good indicator of mental distress because alcohol abusers resort to drinking heavily in order to escape their reality. To help you assess your drinking habit participate in the habit check up.

Stress

Managing low income
Separation/divorce
Unemployment
Lack of education

Acculturative Stress

This type of stress is caused by experiencing changes or adjusting to another culture with different values, language, and morals. Acculturative stress is experienced by immigrants and refugees who are confronted with the loss of objects and people who are significantly tied to the person's self esteem and identity.

Lack of support system

In order to be in good mental health, people need to channel and discuss issues with others: family members, lovers, community leaders, friends, or counselors. Having a support system means being able to go to someone with a problem and trusting them. The majority of Latinos have a strong family tie and can turn to family members for support.

Fear of Institutions and Stigma

Although "stigma is very pronounced in other countries where scarce mental health services are reserved almost exclusively for hospital patients with severe mental disorders" (Dwyer, Eleanor Valdes and Kurt C. Organista, 133), in the United States mental health resources are available to all, most often one can disclose identity, and only rare cases will require institutionalization of patient.

Resources Sensitive to Language, Class, and Culture

University of California, San Francisco Depression Clinic at San Francisco General Hospital is free of charge. It provides hospital based mental health and case management services by linguistically and ethnically matched therapists, and referrals can be made. Services are provided to Latino patients by bilingual, bicultural Latino social workers and a clinical psychologist. (Dwyer, Eleanor Valdes and Kurt C. Organista, 123)

Links to Nation Wide Centers

Work Cited

This web page was developed by Lolly Lee to fulfill a requirement of the class CHI 21: Health Issues in the Chicano/Latino Community taught by Seline Szkupinski Quiroga in the Chicana & Chicano Studies Program at the University of California at Davis, Fall 1998.