underutilization of mental health services are Latinos, African Americans, Native Americans, and Asians (Whaley & Davis, 2007). There are numerous explanations for this matter including the help-seeking behaviors adopted by certain cultural groups, acculturative stress and language, and religious or spiritual beliefs that are adverse to treatment. Help-Seeking Behavior Since the beginnings of the mental health field, many American’s have affixed a stigma to those who seek out treatment. Over time such feelings
Undocumented individuals are also regularly limited in their ability to access care by a lack of health insurance and sufficient financial resources to pay for services (Loue, 1992). The limited accessibility to health care not only affects undocumented immigrants on an individual level, but also on the community level (Kullgren, 2003). Many undocumented workers are employed in the agricultural and food service settings where they can easily facilitate the spread of communicable diseases to others (Fallek
(Routledge 2007). When the Immigration Act of 1924 was passed, it prevented the majority of Mexican immigration to the United States. Measures were quickly taken to deny legal entry to Mexican laborers. As a result, during 1930-1940, 600,000 Mexican immigrants were deported. Finally, in 1935, California law was the first to declare Mexican Americans as foreign-born Indians. In 1946, a court case in California, Mendez v. Westminster, found that Mexican American children were segregated due to their appearance