A person’s background and identity can make access to mental health treatment much more difficult, which is evident for many minority populations. National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 2008 to start addressing these issues,and find new ways to improve accessibility for mental health treatment for everyone.
For instance, as of 2018, the Census Bureau estimated that there were almost 60 million Hispanics living in the United States (about 18% of the overall population). Approximately 10,000,000 within this community report having a mental health condition, yet, only 20% of Latinos who experience symptoms of a psychological disorder talk to a doctor about their symptoms, and only 10% contact a mental health professional. This is an incredible number of people in the U.S. not receiving much needed treatment.
Within the Latinx community, there are a variety of barriers that restrict access to mental health treatment. From a language barrier to insurance availability to a lack of cultural understanding from a medical professional, many Latinos will not seek out the treatment they may need.
More information about mental health in the Latinx community and resources to find help can be found here.
Psychology Today has a listing of Hispanic/Latino Therapists here.
Also, on a recent edition on Thursday with NAMI, the “Three Amigas” talked about their experience with mental health in the Latinx community. See a recording of this session here.
