According to a report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates for youth and young adults have increased 60% in the U.S. since 2011. We spoke with Dr. Daniel Castellanos, Founding Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education, and Professor of Psychiatry at Creighton University School of Medicine, about the issue.
Historically, Latinos have faced additional barriers when seeking mental health services compared to non-Latinos, and cultural dynamics contribute to Latinos not seeking support.
“Depression rates have gone up,” Dr. Castellanos said. “We also know that Latinos and Latino youth kind of have a whole wealth of health disparities dealt with by teens and their families, such as things like poverty, sub-optimal education, issues with access to appropriate healthcare and mental health services.”
“Asking about thoughts of death and or suicide because that’s a myth. The myth is, people say ‘Oh, if I inquire about it, it’ll put the thought in the teen’s mind,’ and that’s not true. It’s a way of understanding and assessing and hopefully intervening, if that individual is suffering.”
Read more at AZPBS.org.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.