Latinos and other people of color often have untreated and unaddressed mental illnesses. This is due to a variety of reasons, such as a stigma against mental illness, distrust in mental health services, or lack of access to treatment. As we discover more barriers to mental health treatment, we can become aware of how to bring equity and greater access to culturally competent mental health treatment.
How Latinos Compare to Other Groups with Mental Health Treatment
Latinos and other people of color are less likely to seek treatment for mental illnesses compared to white people. “Among U.S. adults with mental disorders, racial/ethnic minorities are only half as likely as Whites to get treatment; they are also more likely to drop out before completing their treatment,” ...
Immigration is difficult and often traumatic. People who immigrate to the U.S. often face a dangerous journey only to be met with aggression and xenophobia at the border. It can lead to loss of hope, anxiety, depression, and even suicide. Cheryl Aguilar wants to help families experiencing the trauma of immigration and adjusting to new life in the U.S. Aguilar immigrated from Honduras as a teenager, an experience that helped guide her to give back to immigrant communities. Aguilar is a clinical social worker and founding director and therapist at the Hope Center for Wellness. “As a therapist, one of the things that I do is help individuals, families, and communities heal from whatever distress, trauma, or experiences they might have encountered. I believe in holistic healing, ...
The current novel coronavirus afflicts more than just the lungs. For Latinos and other people of color, COVID-19 has caused disproportionately higher rates of cases and death, job loss, and other inequitable impacts. These groups are also experiencing more mental health issues than in previous eras, according to Dr. Madeline Aviles-Hernandez, the Outpatient Services Director at the Gándara Center. “This crisis is making life much more difficult for [Latinos, African-Americans and other culturally diverse populations] we serve, including those in recovery and people who have yet to be treated for such problems as anxiety and depression,” Aviles-Hernandez said in a statement. “Minorities have been—and continue to be—less likely to receive mental health ...
Life as a Latino immigrant is stressful. Migration is difficult. Changing immigration rules make it hard to get health-promoting assets. Fear of deportation and family separation add anxiety. Now the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening social and environmental inequities. Who is looking out for the mental health of Latino immigrants? Informed Immigrant, Immigrants Rising, and FWD.us have a 10-step guide to help mental health care providers respond to the distress of immigrants whose status is in flux due to ongoing changes to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, amid coronavirus. "In addition to managing the stress and uncertainty surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, there are around 700,000 immigrant youth who may also be worried and distressed ...
The coronavirus outbreak has caused severe changes to the fabric of our society. Many Americans are now facing shelter in place orders, new work from home routines, and other alterations to everyday life. These shifts, as well as the pandemic itself, are forcing us all to grapple with new problems and begin to ask further questions. One issue that is at the forefront of many healthcare providers' minds is something most might not have considered being an issue before: mental health. Whether someone has or has not experienced complications such as depression and anxiety, Dr. Sarah Knoeckel, a Nurse Practitioner and an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at UT Health San Antonio, joins Salud Talks to discuss mental health and how everyone can identify when we are not mentally ...
COVID-19 doesn't discriminate. But U.S. Latinos are more likely than all Americans to say the coronavirus pandemic changed their daily lives, and disrupts their mental health, finances, and jobs, according to new Pew Research Center surveys. "Latinos make up significant portions of the hospitality, construction, leisure and agricultural sectors of our labor market, and are the largest uninsured population in America," wrote Kristian Ramos, ex-spokesman for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, for The Hill. "These workers and uninsured families are unable to telecommute, will not be paid if their jobs are lost, and likely do not have immediate access to health care."
Latino Daily Life During COVID-19
Early on in the outbreak, Pew Research Center reported that a higher percentage of ...
Merely being a minority person of color can be worse for your mental health than low income or experiencing neighborhood violence. Puerto Rican teens and young adults growing up in the South Bronx of New York City are more likely to experience anxiety and depression than their peers growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, says a new study in World Psychiatry. Both of these groups live in similar conditions — the big difference is the youth in New York grow up as a minority. “How others interact with you as a minority can affect your mental health and how you see yourself,” said lead author Dr. Margarita Alegria of the Disparities Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. Members of minority groups often experience racism and discrimination. They also hold the idea ...
July is Minority Mental Health Month. Mental illness does not discriminate based on race. However, Latinos are far more likely than their peers to have mental health issues, according to a Salud America! Research Review. Additionally, Latinos and blacks are less likely than whites to get the mental health services they need, thus leading to a plethora of problems such as missing work. Join us for #SaludTues on Tuesday, July 2, 2019 for a tweetchat in honor of Minority Mental Health Month. What: #SaludTues Tweetchat – The Importance of Minority Mental Health Month
Time/Date: 1-2 P.M. ET (Noon-1 P.M. CT), Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Where: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOSTS: Stamp Out Stigma (@StampStigma) and The American Foundation ...
Latino children are far more likely than their peers to suffer depression and many other psychological issues that will go untreated at higher rates than their peers. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it is crucial to not only address this issue at-large but also to consider the inequities that impact underrepresented communities. Latino students in Philadelphia (14.1% Latino) are capturing those disparities and trials that can lead to the development of harmful mental conditions, through an initiative by the Philadelphia Collaborative for Health Equity (P-CHE) and Thomas Jefferson University. This is one of many innovative solutions communities and schools are developing to promote healthy minds. Other programs across the country are also trying to change the status quo, ...
