An Educational Intervention to Increase the Understanding, Perception and the Uptake of Mental Health
The article by Corrigan, Druss, and Perlick (2014) proves the effectiveness of mental health treatment to alleviate the symptoms and disabilities. The work provides evidence of inadequate mental health-seeking behaviors among African Americans due to stigma. The authors reveal the impact of stigma on their participation in health. However, the article lacks information on measures that could be taken to address stigma and increase participation. The evidence presented reveals the complexity of stigma and its effects, which are moderated by education on mental diseases and cultural relevance. The article applies to the population of study by revealing the importance of education on stigma to improve health-seeking behaviors among African Americans. Education from this point of view relates to the need to understand and reduce stigma and improve the perceptions and attitudes regarding mental health care.
Rowland and Isaac-Savage (2014) wrote an article about the role of the black church in educating African Americans about mental health. The institution plays an important role in serving the interests of this population. While the work presents the avenue that supports and promotes mental health education, the article does not include any other setting for the education process. It also focuses on other topics besides mental health education. Evidence from the study proves the importance of the Black Church as a source of informal education to create an understanding of mental health. The evidence is significant in addressing inequality in various areas of health that affect African Americans. The information from the article is relevant to the current study because it informs knowledge delivery mechanisms to promote mental health among African Americans. It includes the mechanisms for the change of perception towards health-seeking behaviors.