Mental illness among Latina teens is continually increasing and will continue to increase if adequate resources are not provided. There may be several different reasons why mental health trauma may occur for this specific issue in Latina adolescents. So what is mental illness? Most define mental illness as a health condition that primarily involves emotions, behavior, and/or thinking. In the Hispanic community, there are several who suffer silently from a form of mental health without knowing it. We all go through traumatic events at some point in our lives. These traumas do not appear in physical form like scraping your knee or breaking your leg. These traumas influence the way the brain interprets and thinks, which can cause the brain to alter the way someone lives their life. Without proper care, these changes can seriously affect that person's life. Like an untreated broken leg, permanent changes occur.
A Latina teenager is more susceptible to anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and suicide. As a community, the Hispanic community is less likely to seek out mental health professionals. The Hispanic community is not as open about mental health as other communities. Another factor why the Hispanic community does not seek professional help is due to some language barriers, which is not as much of an issue as it has been in the past. The last reason is due to finances. Since mental illness does not present itself physically, parents are more willing to turn a blind eye because it is not something that can be physically seen as a problem. This is why most parents are not willing to spend money on therapy or counseling.
In general, the Hispanic community doesn't really talk about mental health issues. Compared to other peers, Latinas are less likely to receive treatment. This is why Latino adolescents are more susceptible to mental illness. According to Mental Health America, there are 18.6% Latino/Hispanic people in the United States, and of that percentage, 16% reported having had a mental illness in the past year. According to Sunshine Behavioral Health in 2018, the second leading cause of death among Latinos/Hispanics was suicide. 12.6% to 15.1% of Latino youth, ages 12 to 17, have major depressive disorder.
Since mental health is not always a physical thing, it is easy to overlook and ignore. One of the main reasons the Hispanic community does not seek mental health help is due to the language barrier (not everyone in a Latino/Hispanic community speaks Spanish). There are so many different cultures and languages in the Latino/Hispanic community that it may be difficult to find a professional who understands the background and speaks the language. Fortunately, in recent years there has been a slight increase in the number of bilingual professionals in the mental health community. Which means that there are more and more resources for the Latino/Hispanic community to understand how and what mental health is about. Finding resources is important, and luckily, if you are reading this, you have found a place in the community where you can access resources.
Sources:
Karla Palma
She is a student at SAGU with a degree in psychology. He is from Houston, Texas, and currently lives in Waxahachie, Texas. She is an aspiring bilingual counselor.
