Amid growing concerns over mental health among Latinos is a new push by counselors, celebrities, and influencers to provide access to treatment and create safe conversations within communities.
According to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2020, more than 18% of the Latinx community reported having a mental health condition. Among those, 1 in 4, or more than 24%, were categorized as having a serious mental illness.
Research available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website also showed that 40.3% of Hispanic people experienced symptoms of depression, compared to 25.3% of white people. Latinos also face disparities in access and quality of mental health treatment, according to the American Psychiatric Association, which cites language barriers, lack of insurance and “lack of culturally tailored services and culturally competent mental health professionals” among the many contributing factors.
Beyond increasing access to treatment, therapists like Jacqueline Garcia are also working to erase the stigma surrounding mental health among Latinos.
“Begin these conversations with your family, your loved ones, your friends, and seeing how that language develops in your life,” Garcia, a licensed clinical social worker, said. “Because maybe you come from homes where this wasn’t talked about, it was invalidated.”
Read more at ABCNews.com.
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