Many studies put out by various government organizations suggest that Latinos -- like many other people living in America -- are in need of mental health services, especially mental health services that are specifically targeted for their community's specific needs. So why isn't mental health -- and mental illness -- taken seriously within the community?

The short answer is this: there's a stigma associated with needing mental health, and while that's not unique to the Latino community, there's certainly some things that are needed, specifically, for their community that aren't being addressed by traditional mental health practices.

According to the National Institutes of Health, "Historical and sociocultural factors suggest that, as a group, Latinos are in great need of mental health services. Latinos, on average, have relatively low educational and economic status. In addition, historical and social subgroup differences create differential needs within Latino groups. Central Americans may be in particular need of mental health services given the trauma experienced in their home countries. Puerto Rican and Mexican American children and adults may be at a higher risk than Cuban Americans for mental health problems, given their lower educational and economic resources. Recent immigrants of all backgrounds, who are adapting to the United States, are likely to experience a different set of stressors than long-term Hispanic residents."

Here are some unique challenges facing the Latino community:

  • Because of cultural differences, many Latino youths are misdiagnosed as having anger disorders, rather than mental disorders.
  • Latinos are more likely to get their mental health services from religious leaders -- even if they need psychiatrists.
  • Latino females in high school are more likely to commit suicide than their white and Black counterparts
  • U.S.-born Latinos are at a greater risk for mental health disorders than their immigrant counterparts.
  • Latina women are more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder than Latino men.
  • There is a severe dearth of mental health professionals who speak Spanish, therefore a severe dearth of mental health professionals who are able to perform outreach services to the Spanish-dominant Latino community.
  • Living in poverty is the greatest contributor to mental illness in the Latino community.

Being mentally and emotionally healthy does not preclude the experiences of life which we cannot control. As humans, we are going to face emotions and events that are a part of life. According to an article in HealthGuide, "People who are emotionally and mentally healthy have the tools for coping with difficult situations and maintaining a positive outlook in which they also remain focused, flexible, and creative in bad times as well as good." In order to improve your emotional mental health, the root of the issue has to be resolved. "Prevention emphasizes the avoidance of risk factors; promotion aims to enhance an individual's ability to achieve a positive sense of self-esteem, mastery, well-being, and social inclusion." It is very important to improve your emotional mental health by surrounding yourself with positive relationships. We, as humans, feed off companionships and interaction with other people. Another way to improve your emotional mental health is participating in activities that can allow you to relax and take time for yourself.

According to the World Health Organization, in 2004, depression was the leading cause of disability in the United States of America for individuals ages 15 to 44.

There are many factors that influence mental health including:

- Mental illness, disability, and suicide are ultimately the result of a combination of biology, environment, and access to and utilization of mental health treatment;

- Public health policies can influence access and utilization, which subsequently may improve mental health and help to progress the negative consequences of depression and its associated disability.

Pre-migration and post-migration stressors affect the mental health of refugee children. Compared to other immigrants, refugee children (such as those from Cuban parents who arrived in the States on the basis of political asylum) are more likely to have serious problems associated with malnutrition, disease, physical injuries, brain damage and sexual or physical abuse. These problems may affect the child's cognitive, social and emotional development, leading to serious mental deficiencies/illnesses including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression.

Many refugees develop a mistrust of authority figures due to repressive governments in their country of origin. Fear of authority and a lack of awareness regarding mental health issues prevent refugee children and their families from seeking medical help. The Latino culture, as has been previously mentioned, uses informal support systems and self-care strategies to cope with their mental illnesses, rather than rely upon biomedicine. Language and cultural differences also complicate a refugee's understanding of mental illness and available health care.

Other factors that delay refugees from seeking medical help are:

- Fear of discrimination and stigmatization;

- Denial of mental illness as defined in the Western context;

- Fear of the unknown consequences following diagnosis such as deportation, separation from family, and losing children.