July is National Minority Mental Health Month and growing up in a Hispanic family that was very traditional, mental health was not talked about much, if ever.
It turns out that “while there is great diversity within this community, there are some shared cultural factors that connect people regardless of ancestry or national origin,” according to the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI).
There is a strong sense of family in the Latino community. Kids tend to live at home with family until they start their own families.
“There is also a shared connection of religious affiliations, strong family bonds, connections to extended networks and a resilient approach to life and work,” NAMI states on their website.
The Latino community is driven by culture and history but with that comes some outdated practices and beliefs. There are significant disparities between Latinos and mental health resources.
More than half of Hispanic young adults ages 18-25 with serious mental illness may not receive treatment. Untreated mental health conditions can often worsen. 35.1% of Hispanic/Latino adults with mental illness receive treatment each year compared to the U.S. average of 46.2% due to barriers to getting treated.
There can be other barriers such as language barriers that can get in the way of moving forward with treatment for mental health illnesses. Spanish is largely spoken but there are other languages and dialects spoken in Latin America.
While there are changes happening in the Latino communities, there are unique obstacles Latino communities experience.
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