Cultural and linguistic proficiency in mental health care: a crucial aspect of professional competence.
Cultural and linguistic proficiency in mental health care: a crucial aspect of professional competence.
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DOI：
10.1017/s1041610219000541
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发表时间：
2020-01
影响因子：
7
通讯作者：
Jimenez D
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Marquine MJ;Jimenez D
The United States (US) population is becoming increasingly older and more ethnically and racially diverse, a trend that mirrors that of many other countries across the world. It is projected that by 2043, the US will become a majority-minority nation, where no ethnic/racial group comprises a majority of the population (US Census Bureau, 2012). Nearly 21% of the US population, or over 60 million people, speak a language other than English at home. Of those, 41% report not speaking English very well, and thus may be considered persons with limited English proficiency (Ryan, 2013). It is becoming increasingly recognized that mental health systems in the US are not prepared to serve the current and growing numbers of culturally and linguistically diverse clients, which has prompted a call for action in the field of mental health (Mental Health America, 2016). The involvement of professional, well-trained language interpreters is undoubtedly paramount to the provision of linguistically appropriate health services, particularly when the patients being served speak a language that is used by a very small portion of the population in that country or region. The paper by Wand and colleagues (this issue)(2019) describes important considerations for the use of interpreters in the mental health assessment of older people and provides strategies to enhance clinical services delivery in this context. In their wellthought-out paper, the authors describe the importance of interpreter training and experience and the impact that the relational context involving interpreter, clinician, and patient might have on mental health assessments.As noted by Wand and colleagues (2019), the use of interpreters in the assessment of psychiatric symptoms might pose special challenges. Since psychiatric evaluation hinges on obtaining a thorough history, and a good diagnosis often depends on clear, accurate descriptions of symptoms, language barriers can prevent recognizing and labeling mental health problems and can interfere with successful communication about treatment needs and care
