Black, Hispanic men neglect treatment of mental health

June 13--Black and Hispanic men are less likely than white men to receive mental health treatment, according to a federal study that raises questions about what barriers people of color face in accessing services.

In a study published this week, researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention'sNational Center for Health Statistics found that among men ages 18 to 44 who had daily feelings of anxiety or depression, black and Hispanic men were less likely than white men to have taken medication or talked to a mental health professional.

The Rev. George Young, an Oklahoma City Democrat who serves in the state House of Representatives, said those findings don't surprise him for several reasons, including the cultural barriers that black and Hispanic men face in asking for help.

"Being African-American myself, and I've worked with individuals where there is so much trauma that exists nowadays," Young said. "Talking about young African-

American males who are most likely being brought up in a single family home, who have most likely not had access to a dual-parent household, maybe they're missing a parent completely because their father has engaged in activities that have caused them to be incarcerated ... it is very difficult.

"And to admit to yourself and to others that you got some stuff going on internally ... we don't deal with that."

Researchers also found a significant racial and ethnic disparity in men without insurance coverage accessing treatment.

Trauma, poverty early in life

Nearly 40 percent of uninsured white men ages 18 to 44 who had daily anxiety or depression had accessed therapy or taken medication. But only 13 percent of uninsured black and Hispanic men in that age group reported using those services.

Young said some men may not realize they have those feelings because they've grown used to them.

Many people of color experience trauma early in life, especially in poorer neighborhoods, and it can be difficult for adults to understand what they went through as children, Young said.

"A lot of folks do not understand the trauma that exists in the homes of people and what (children) have had to experience in order to get to school," Young said.

"It is very, very difficult. I had a principal tell me, 'We want to complain about the high schools and middle schools. We're sending them problems, they're not creating problems there.' "

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