ART 3170-02: Mental Health Stigma Surrounding Latinx Community

Stigma Surrounding Mental Health in the Latinx Community

"Just get over it."

This is a term heard too often amongst Latinx children, primarily the those seen as boys. From personal experience, this term has long damaged the psyche of many growing children as they no longer feel free to express their feelings or show emotion. This issue can be seen across all ages, but the younger generation has been on the forefront of this issue, trying to change the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

What is mental health stigma as it pertains to the Latinx community?

Before going into specific examples within the Latinx population, it is important to understand what stigma is as it pertains to mental health. As stated in an article in Medical News Today, 

"Mental health stigma refers to the negative attitudes or beliefs that lead to the devaluing, disgracing, and disfavoring by the general public of individuals with mental illnesses."

Despite this being a general definition of mental health stigma, there are three other types of stigma. Social stigma is a certain stigma that refers to the negative attitudes about mental health usually found in one's culture or broader society. The second type, self-stigma, often happens when someone internalizes negative societal attitudes surrounding mental health. Institutional stigma, being the third type, often refers to government or private institutions that unintentionally or intentionally discriminate against people with mental health issues.

Now as it pertains to the Latinx community, mental health is almost seen as a myth since older generations tend to push it under the rug rather than face any sign of mental illnesses. Mental illness can be seen as a sign of "weakness" in most families' eyes and even as an embarrassment to them. However this is just a fraction of the many reasons why mental health in the Latinx community takes a back seat when compared to other issues in the community.

Research

According to an article from the Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, approximately 33% of Latinxs with mental illnesses receive treatment when compared to 43%, which would be the U.S. average. Also referenced in the article, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) stated that the most common mental health conditions amongst the Latinx population are generalized anxiety disorder, major depression, post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), and substance use. Despite experiencing symptoms related to these conditions, only 20% talk to a doctor about it and 10% contact a mental health professional. 

Barriers

When it comes mental health, the Latinx community faces many barriers, self inflicted or not, that prevent them from finding help and taking advantage of said help.  

Economic 

According to NAMI, 15.7% of Hispanic/Latinx people in the U.S. live in poverty when compared to non-hispanic whites (7.3%). Economically challenge individuals who are considered to live in poverty run a higher risk of having a mental illness and in comparison, those with a mental illness tend to run the risk of living in poverty.

 Another reason as to how economic status plays into mental health can be seen in a video by Mitu, where they interviewed many Hispanic/Latinx youth talking about mental health. In the video (that will be linked) they spoke about how "parents bust their [expletive] to survive, to take care of you... you never want to make it seem like they failed you as a parent". This can be seen also in personal experiences where parents can't afford the time to think or talk about mental health, leading to them not having time to talk to their children as well. 

 According to NAMI's research with the Kaiser Family Foundation, it found that 19% of Hispanic/Latinx people did not have any form of health insurance and could not afford insurance.  

Stigma

Among the many things that is seen as taboo in Hispanic/Latinx culture, mental health is arguably one that is continued to be frowned upon in the community. According to Mental Health America, discussing mental health problems can be seen as an embarrassment or might bring "shame" to the family. 

In addition, the Mitu video showed how the lack of attention to mental health has trickled down to the younger generation. In the video, along with the article by Mental Health America, suggest that Latinx adolescents are more likely to use antidepressants when compared to white and black adolescents. But going into the stigma, the video shows exactly how the younger generation was raised with the idea that if there were to be any sort of signs of a mental illness, they would simply be told to get over it and move on.  

Personal Take

While conducting research on other's opinions on the issue of mental health in the Latinx community, it is imperative that I speak on how this issue pertains to me on a personal level. Growing up I had been told not to cry, not to be sad, and if I was seen crying or seemed 'down' my family (dad, uncles, etc.) would tell me to "man up" rather than address the reason I was sad or crying. Sharing my emotions and feelings was and still is hard to do with my family because all my life I had been raised with the idea that as the 'man of the family' it was my job to portray strength, composure, and security. This stuck with me and it wasn't until I began attending Cal State LA that I began to use the resources that the university offered in terms of mental health.  

Start the Dialogue 

Overall, it is important to start the conversation, one way or another. But it is also important to listen to each other when speaking about said things. As it is in most cases, the older generation weren't raised with the idea that expressing emotions and feelings is 'okay', so it is more likely that they are also dealing with past experiences as well. Be kind, be patient, and care for one another. 

Resources and Links

• NAMI’s Compartiendo Esperanza

• American Society of Hispanic Psychiatry

• Therapy for Latinx

• Mental Health America’s Resources for Latinx/Hispanic Communities

References

Cardinal Innovations Healthcare — July 16. (2020, May 1). Rethinking mental health in the Latino Community. Cardinal Innovations Healthcare. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.cardinalinnovations.org/Resources/Blog/Rethinking-Mental-Health-in-the-Latino-Community.

Hispanic/Latinx. NAMI. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Identity-and-Cultural-Dimensions/Hispanic-Latinx. 

Latinx/Hispanic Communities and Mental Health. Mental Health America. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.mhanational.org/issues/latinxhispanic-communities-and-mental-health. 

MediLexicon International. (n.d.). Mental health stigma in Latin America: Culture, resources, and more. Medical News Today. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/mental-health-stigma-in-latin-america#in-latin-america. 

Mitumixadmin. (n.d.). Latinos talk: Mental health - mitú. we are Mitú. 100% American & Latino. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://wearemitu.com/video/latinos-talk-mental-health-mitu/.