Michelle Mata wasn’t diagnosed until she was 23, after years of suffering. She knew little about who to turn to for help, and having grown up in San Antonio, Texas, in a Latino family that didn’t talk about mental health, she was afraid to tell the truth.
“I didn’t want to tell (the doctors) because I knew that as soon as I revealed what I was feeling, my freedom would be taken away and I would be admitted to a hospital,” said Mata, 53, who spoke about mental health with in hopes of helping others. She now works with the San Antonio chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness while coping 30 years later with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In 2022, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that only one-fifth of Hispanic adults reported suffering from a mental illness, defined in the report as a diagnosed behavioral or emotional disorder that interferes with life. That’s slightly less than whites (24.6%) but more than Blacks (19.7%) and Asians (16.8%).
The survey found that Hispanic adults were less likely to receive treatment than other white or multiracial adults. Mental health experts, community clinics and policymakers are increasingly calling attention to the barriers Latinos may face in seeking treatment, such as a lack of specialists who are Latino or speak Spanish and other languages, and working on new programs to mitigate limited access.
“The more we talk about it and understand it, the more we can do something about it,” said Mata, who hopes that younger generations will not have to go through what she suffered. “People don’t understand that seeking help is not a sign of weakness. Doing so takes courage,” she added.
In New York City, SOMOS Community Care has begun conducting mental health screenings on patients regardless of the reason they come to the appointment, said Riquelmy Lamour, director of behavioral health and social work.
Many of her patients live in Latino neighborhoods in northern Manhattan and the South Bronx, and Lamour said it’s easier for someone to let down their guard when a doctor who has cared for the family for generations refers them to a mental health professional. She also conducts outreach at street fairs, offering an immediate connection to a provider and resources.
“You go to a doctor, but a doctor who looks and speaks like you, who understands your culture, language and nuances,” she said.
An interactive tool from the American Psychological Association shows that only 8% of psychologists identified as Latino in 2021 (the most recent data on record). Julia Macedo, a psychiatrist in Pittsburgh and a fellow at the National Hispanic Medical Association, says patients are less likely to seek help if they don’t have someone who understands their experiences, such as anxiety and fear of deportation.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (988) offers call, text and chat services in Spanish. Congressional Democrats have introduced two bills that would help with mental health education and outreach for Latinos. One was introduced in the Senate in 2023 and has not yet had a committee hearing. The other, pushed in May by Colorado Rep. Yadira Caraveo, focuses on Latino youth.
A 2022 federal survey found that 1.2 million Hispanic people, ages 12 to 17, have suffered from major depressive episodes, but only half have received mental health treatment. Talking about the topic in schools, as early as kindergarten, could help younger Latinos understand that “(mental health) is not bad, it’s just an illness,” according to Fernando Taveras, a psychiatrist at SOMOS.
Congresswoman Andrea Salinas also supported the recent bill, which has not yet been discussed, and said that she grew up in a Latino home where mental health was not discussed; she considered it vital for Latino youth to have access to the resources they need.
“It’s to give people hope and to let them know that even though we may not be able to pass something right now, people are listening,” she said. “I feel like that alone can hopefully save a life or motivate someone to seek help.”
Servicios de la Raza is one of the few behavioral centers in Colorado that has a diverse, Spanish-speaking staff as well as language resources. Doctors across the state refer patients to the organization that was founded in 1972 with a mental health focus, said Ana Belen Vizoso, vice president of health and wellness. The center sees about 10,000 patients a year for mental health services but she says the needs are growing in a community that represents nearly 19 percent of the state’s population.
According to Vizoso, the stigma of seeking mental health help in the Latino community still exists, but there is a change. Her organization has received more people seeking care, but seeking help and receiving it are two different things, she added.
“This is the first time that many individuals have opened up and shared their experiences in a behavioral health setting,” Vizoso said. “If they didn’t have access to our services, they wouldn’t have the opportunity to do so. Everyone in our community should have access, but that’s not the case.”
The Department of Mental Health in Los Angeles County, California, began expanding mental health care for the county’s 4.8 million Latinos during the pandemic. That included creating a spokesperson’s office, where certified officials offered reliable information about COVID-19 and now provide “clinically, culturally and linguistically” appropriate information on mental health and other topics, said Sandra Chang, director of the county’s clinical and mental health program.
The county also launched Promotores de Salud, a service that offers mental health information; a 10-week program focused on empowering Latinas; and another effort that focuses on using traditional Mayan health forms.
According to the responses the support groups have received, they are making a difference, says Chang, who adds that people are learning to “pursue goals and focus on their personal needs, discovering for the first time ways of self-admiration, self-esteem, and being able to talk about their needs without fear of asking for help and fighting against stigma.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis you can call 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Or call 800-273-8255, or text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
