The number of Latino teenagers and young adults needing psychiatric help in California is rising faster than other ethnic groups; Latino community experts have different takes on why this is happening.

Psychiatric hospitalizations for Latinos below the age of 21 rose to 86 percent or 17,813 cases from 2007 to 2014, and the rate is higher than Caucasians and African Americans in the same age bracket. Both groups only reflected young adult psychiatric hospitalizations from 21 percent to 35 percent. The numbers were compiled by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.

Defining Psychiatric Hospitalization

Some of the cases that define psychiatric hospitalizations include incidence like:

  • inflicting self-harm
  • threatening or attempting suicide
  • hallucinations
  • substance abuse, like alcohol or drugs
  • abstaining from eating or other related eating problems
  • insomnia or serious sleep problems
  • manic depression

These instances lead the patient to lose the ability to function and cope with day-to-day activities.

Why The Number Is Rising

Local leaders and experts point out different reasons for the spike in mental health cases, citing cultural, language and economic barriers as some of the factors. Many Latino households think that seeking professional help is not necessary and there's a stigma that comes with it. "Often, they wait until they are falling apart," said University of California professor Dr. Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola.

Seeing a therapist is more of an inconvenience in a typical Latino family, especially when parents or adults have to pause everything to bring their kids to mental health professionals. Thus, the concerned person cannot get the consultation or counseling they need early on until the problem worsens.

"Latinos tend to work long hours, often on weekends, so for some people going to see a therapist means losing a day of work," Aguilar-Gaxiola said. "Or for many Latinos, going to a therapist means going to the other side of town, to an unfamiliar place outside of their community. And when they do make it into a therapist's office, sometimes there are language and cultural issues and then they give up."

The spike in mental health cases among teenagers and children of immigrant families could also be "discrimination-related" stress based on a study the Steinhardt Research Team did on Latino youth mental health in 2015. "Adolescence may be a particularly vulnerable time for discrimination, as forming one's cultural, ethnic, and racial identities is central during this developmental period," said psychology professor and study lead author Selcuk Sirin.

Meanwhile, some experts interpret the rise in numbers as a positive sign because it signals that more Latino families are addressing the problem and becoming aware that they have access to mental health care.