Talking about my anxiety used to be very difficult. I saw that it came with strings of negative stigmas attached, and as heavy as the baggage felt to carry, it was always considered easy to transport in the eyes of my peers and my family. For so long I blamed them for not sympathizing in the healthier ways, it was always overly simplified or blown out of proportion. I’ll admit, I am very fortunate to have a family that has been understanding and supportive, but for many young latinx, that is not the case- and most of the time it isn’t their family’s fault.
Besides great food and a hidden matriarchy running the household, many common misconceptions about mental health plague latinx communities. In a Facilitator’s Guide titled, “No Soy Loco!/I’m Not Crazy” they look into the stigma of psychological themes in the community. Latino immigrants have especially low rates of mental health services use, and latina adolescents have the highest rate of suicidal ideation and attempts of any ethnic and gender group in this age category, although latinxs in general are less likely to report on their mental well-being. Reasons include:
- Religious and spiritual experiences that are consistent with cultural identity can be misidentified as psychotic symptoms leading to misdiagnosis. These experiences are seen as valuable religious experiences, and are often seen as just that rather than a symptom to a serious health condition.
- There’s a lack of Latino health care professionals available for those seeking help. There is a low percentage in the American Psychology Association (one percent) that identify as latino, and a huge language barrier prevents spanish only speaking latinx into seeking help. The language barrier also affects the communication between immigrants and their second generation children.
- Someone who is seeking help for mental health is often looked down on. There is a lack of education on these issues in developing countries, therefore a lack of understanding. Most of the knowledge gathered about psychological issues come from stereotypes and stigmas, which label those in need of psychiatric assistance negatively.
For marginalized groups, the thought of not being accepted or welcomed into their own community can lead to them hiding and furthermore never confronting their troubles- health issues being one of them. Recognizing psychological issues as more than someone exaggerating, is extremely important, but we can only do that by understanding why communities stigmatize something this serious in the first place.
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