MENTAL ILLNESS IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY: A SUBJECT MATTER WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO IGNORE!

For this month, I would like to discuss mental health issues within our Latino communities. It is a subject I’ve been wanting to write about for months, simply because I am a Latina American person who happens to suffer from a mental illness. Not only that, there are so many people like me who don’t see themselves, and their suffering represented or validated. Our communities need to learn about mental illness. It is not going away! Mental illness is a legitimate issue, part of the human experience and no one is exempt from it. It affects everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, age, etc.… So, to be left out of the dialogue should no longer be tolerated or acceptable. I want to start an open dialogue for Latino Americans who suffer from mental health issues. I’d like to cultivate freedom, acceptance, and a wealth of information and knowledge for Latino Americans who seek it. And I’d like to see it start here.

There are an estimated 58.9 million Latino Americans residing within the United States, which makes up about 18.1% of the overall population. Of the Latino population recorded in 2017, 62% of the nation’s Latino population was of Mexican origin, 9.5% of Puerto Rican origin, with about 4% each of Cuban and Salvadoran, and 3.5% Dominican. The remaining 17% of other Central American or Southern American origin, or origin directly from Spain. About 16% of Latino American adults live with a mental health condition, which translates to 9,424,000 million people. In short, there is a large presence of mentally ill Latino Americans in the United States.  Mental illness has always been portrayed as a myth within Latino communities, hardly is it ever given the time of day. But to see actual numbers and statistics of people in your community, people who share your ethnic background and culture, who share the same problems as you, are absolutely validating! Which is amazing! But on the other hand, it raises some concern. Even though 9,424,000 million is relatively small to the remaining 49,478,000 Latin American population, it is still over 9 million people that we are talking about here; and what about those 9 million Latino Americans? How many are being treated for their mental illnesses?  Do they have access to treatment? I’ll talk about it in next month’s issue. Please share this article or information with your family members, friends, and colleagues.

National Suicide Prevention Line: 1-800-273-8255

Crisis Services  —- Hotline and  Website in Buffalo and Erie County   / 716-834-3131

Sources: 

Hispanic Facts

Latino Mental Health

Overcoming Mental Health Stigma in the Latino Community

Hispanic and Latino Americans

Multucultural Mental Health Facts Manuel