Michelle Mata was only diagnosed with mental illness at the age of 23, after years of suffering. She knew very little about who to ask for help, as she grew up in a Latino family in San Antonio that didn’t talk about mental health. In consultations, she was terrified of telling the truth.
“I didn’t want to tell (doctors) this because I knew that as soon as I revealed what I was feeling, my freedom would be taken away from me and I would be admitted to the hospital,” said Mata, 53, who spoke about his mental health to the Associated Press on hope to help other people. She now works at the San Antonio chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness while grappling, 30 years later, with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that just over a fifth of Hispanic adults reported having a mental illness, defined in the report as a diagnosed mental, behavioral or emotional disorder that may have interfered with their lives. This is slightly less than white Americans (24.6%) but more than black Americans (19.7%) and Asian Americans (16.8%).
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of mental health. If you or someone you know needs help, please contact national suicide and lifeline from the crisis at 988, or the National Alliance on Mental Illness by calling 1-800-950-6264 or texting “NAMI” to 741741.
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The same survey showed that Hispanic adults were less likely to receive treatment than multiracial adults and white adults. Mental health experts, community clinics and politicians are increasingly drawing attention to barriers Latinos may face in seeking treatment – such as the lack of Latino and speak Spanish or other languages — and working to create new programs to address access issues.
“The more we talk about it, listen and understand it, we can do something about it,” said Mata, who hopes younger generations don’t have to struggle like she did. “People don’t understand that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Asking for help is brave.”
SOMOS Community Care in New York City has started doing mental health screenings for all patients, regardless of the reason for their visit, said Riquelmy Lamour, director of behavioral health and social services.
Many of the patients live in heavily Latino neighborhoods in upper Manhattan and the South Bronx, and Lamour said it can be easier for someone to let their guard down when a doctor who has treated the family for generations refers them to a mental health professional. The organization also hosts displays at street fairs, providing an immediate connection to a vendor and resources to find other suitable services.
“You go to the doctor, but a doctor who looks like you, who speaks like you, who understands your culture, your language, the nuances,” she said.
One American Psychological Association Interactive Tool Shows About 8% of Psychologists Identify as Latino in 2021, the most recent data available. Julia Macedo, a Pittsburgh psychiatrist and member of the National Hispanic Medical Association, said patients are less likely to seek help if they don’t have someone who can understand their experiences, such as anxiety and fear of having a family. deported member.
The national suicide and crisis hotline, 988, offers voice, text and chat services in Spanish. Congressional Democrats have introduced two bills that would help with education and outreach around mental health for Latinos. One introduced in the Senate in 2023 did not receive a committee hearing. The other, introduced in May by Colorado Rep. Yadira Caraveo, focuses specifically on young Latinos.
The 2022 federal survey showed that 1.2 million Hispanics ages 12 to 17 had suffered a major depressive episode, but only half received mental health treatment. Talking about mental health in schools as early as kindergarten it would help young Latinos understand that “(mental health) is not bad, it is just an illness,” said SOMOS psychiatrist Dr. Fernando Taveras.
Rep. Andrea Salinas of Oregon is a co-sponsor of the recent bill, which has not yet been heard by committee. She said she grew up in a Latino family where mental health wasn’t talked about and said it’s vital that young Latinos have the resources they need.
“It’s about giving people hope and letting them know that even if we can’t pass something right now, people are listening,” she said. “I feel like this alone can save a life or encourage someone to ask for help. ”
Servicios de la Raza is one of the few behavioral health centers in Colorado that has a diverse Spanish-speaking staff and Spanish-language resources. Doctors from across the state refer people to the organization, which began in 1972 with a focus on mental health, said Ana Belen Vizoso, vice president of health and wellness. The organization serves about 10,000 patients a year for mental health services, but she said the needs are constantly growing for a community that makes up nearly 19 percent of the state’s population.
Vizoso said the stigma surrounding seeking mental health help in the Latino community still exists, but there has been a change. Her organization has seen more people seeking care, but asking for help and getting help are two different things, she added.
“This is the first time that many individuals have opened up and shared their experiences in a behavioral health setting,” Vizoso said patients wrote in exit surveys. “If they didn’t have access to our services, they wouldn’t have the opportunity. Everyone in our community should have access, but that’s not the case for everyone.”
The Los Angeles County, California, Department of Mental Health began expanding mental health services for the county’s 4.8 million Latinos during the pandemic. This included the creation of the speakers’ bureau, where licensed doctors provided reliable information about COVID-19 and now provide “clinically, culturally and linguistically” appropriate information about mental health and other topics, said Sandra Chang, who is the program manager. of the county. clinical mental health program.
The county also started Promotores de Salud (Mental Health Promoters), a peer-to-peer center that provides mental health information; a 10-week program focused on empowering Latinas; and an effort utilizing traditional forms of healing from the Mayan community.
The support groups are making a difference based on the feedback Chang said he has received, adding that people are learning “to pursue goals and focus on their personal needs, discovering themselves for the first time in terms of self-admiration, of self esteem”. It’s worth being able to talk openly about your needs, not being afraid to ask for help, and fighting stigma.”
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