Among some communities, individuals with mental health issues may thus be erroneously perceived as either posing a danger to community members or having a weak will. There is also a mistrust of mental healthcare services among minoritized ethnic groups, owing to the history of racism in mental healthcare, which involves the categorization of cultural differences as mental illness. Diagnosed mental disorders require sustained treatment, and the healthcare provider-patient relationship plays a critical role in determining treatment success. Residential segregation has also affected Latino communities, and individuals residing predominantly in these communities tend to have limited access to specialty mental health professionals. Structural racism thus refers to laws, practices, and social norms that perpetuate inequities in access to housing, employment, education, healthcare, justice, and finance.<\/p>\n