Latino Mental Health

Why is The Stigma Surrounding Mental Illness Worse in the Latino Community?
According to the U.S Census Bureau, Latino high school females are more likely to report suicidal thinking than non-Latino white females, 20.2% versus 16.1% (“Latino/Hispanic Communities”). That is a devastating figure and it is caused by the stigma Latinos face when it comes to mental illness is so much worse than average. This stigma is caused by many factors including but are not limited to: access to healthcare, reputation, self-reliance, lack of representation within the healthcare field, and language barriers. All these factors work together to bar people from receiving the treatment they need to treat their illnesses. Issues like this require people to take action

By not having ready access to a physician of any sort, receiving help is harder than ever. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as of February 2015 18.9% of the Latino population under 65 years of age were uninsured compared to the 7.4% for non-Latinos (“Access to Healthcare”). Without that knowledge available through a physician the cycle of lack of knowledge would continue. Although even with access to healthcare, many people feel the pressure from the outside, so they do not bring up mental issues to their doctor. The National Alliance on Mental Health found that only 20% of Latinos with symptoms of a psychological disorder talk to a doctor about their concerns, and only 10% contact a mental health specialist (“Latinos & Mental Health”). Being able to provide healthcare for all is of the utmost importance for many Americans, not just Latinos. Once the issue of health care is taken care of, treatment can become a more viable

Thus if mental illness is looked down upon due to self reliance and general lack of knowledge, a family member who suffers from it could ruin it all. Clara Morato has a son that was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 18 and she states, “[Latinos] don’t want to be labeled, and they don’t want to be labeled as the family with the crazy relative” (Dichoso, “Stigma Haunts Mentally”). That kind of label can be devastating to a family in a small town in the Unites States, and could even lead to ostracisation. The devastation would arise from possibly being shunned from the community, and even a lack of opportunities being provided. Family and community are values that are extremely important in Latino communities so actions like these could harm the mentality of the individuals in the family. Not to mention that many of the people living in these communities could be immigrants. Social acceptance for the safety of an immigrant family is of the utmost importance. After all by 2060 the Hispanic demographic is expected to grow to 129 Million or 31% of the population (“Latino/Hispanic Communities”); this means the influx of immigrants will increase and the need to fit in will rise as well. This kind of hesitance to talk about mental illness is not just specific to Morato and her town, it is widespread. Angel Naso writes,