Latino Mental Health Case Study

In the vignette provided Tommy, an 11 yr.-old male Hispanic male is suffering from numerous symptoms such as compulsive behavior, extreme mood swings, difficulty engaging in meaningful conversations and problems with concentration, to name a few. Tommy first started showing signs of disruptive and hyper behavior as early as 18 months. There are numerous factors both environmental and biological that have affected Tommy’s development and care. His mother and maternal grandmother both suffer from bipolar disorder. While pregnant with Tommy his mother had adequate prenatal care however, she may have exposed her son to various harmful substances. Also, prior to becoming pregnant Tommy’s mother had been on numerous medications for substance abuse, severe depression and suicidal ideation.

Instead of seeking mental health services for emotional or psychological concern, Latinos tend to seek medical care services from a physician. Both (Gelman, 2005; Bedoya, 2014; Organista, 1995) portray Latinos favoring mental health services through primary care than a mental health care setting. Many Latinos misinterpret physical symptoms as a medical illness when, in fact, it may be due to psychological condition. It is not uncommon for Latinos to mainly present mental issues as physical complaints (González-Prendes, Hindo, & Pardo, 2011, p. 380). Similarly Kanter et al. (2008) states, “Depression in Latino immigrants with low acculturation often is characterized somatic complaints with less awareness and identification of psychological symptoms”

The United States has had tremendous growth in population over the past two decades, and the demographic landscape has completely shifted because of this. Latinos account for the largest ethnic minority group in the country today, and this has caused tremendous negative backlash against them including increased discrimination and an overall negative impact on their mental health. A previous meta-analysis reported that Latinos experience high levels of depressive symptoms when compared with non-Latino whites (Torres, 2015). Depression is a terrible condition which takes over your ability to control your emotions and ultimately brings you down to the point where the daily activities that you take part in are no longer of interest to you. Not

Therefore, many Latinx neglect the mental illnesses that are prevalent within their community. Specifically, LGBTQI Latinx who neglect seeking therapy for their mental illness due to being alienated as “crazy” and marked inferior due to their sexuality. LGBTQI Latinx would likely feel ashamed and fear social criticism which would only cause more harm towards their mental state. Therefore, LGBTQI Latinx are discouraged to look for mental health services due to their sociocultural barriers. As a result, these negative perceptions and discrimination toward LGBTQI Latinx and mental health formulate health disparities among LGBTIQI Latinx communities.

According to Shattell et al. (2008), there is a notable discrepancy between Latinos’ that are in need of services and the actual utilization of services. This week’s readings provided much insight as to why Latinos underutilize mental health services. On an individual level one must consider how a person’s belief system will affect treatment. According to Shattell et al. (2008), Latinos often view mental illness as being caused by a curse and other evil spirits. They do not see their symptoms as signs of a mental illness, so in turn they would not seek services. Shattell et al. (2008) further explains that Latinos are often suspicious and guarded about disclosing their symptoms to practitioners. This can prevent a practitioner from providing

These news stories would describe the overall impact that this problem is having but would also feature intimate portraits of Latino young people and their families who are struggling with mental health conditions. These features would also talk to the social workers and teachers who are struggling to meet the needs of young people without access to adequate resources. This would allow these workers and teachers to share not only the struggle but possible solutions that community and political leaders can be a part

According to the popular media report issued by CNN, latinos in general, have been struggling to find help for mental health issues amongst their ever growing population (Rodriguez, 2013). Even though Obamacare ensures affordable healthcare for 6 million latinos, it’s still not enough for the hispanic community who are suffering from mental illness to seek help (Rodriguez, 2013). The major fear in the latino community is the fact of being stigmatized when obtaining help from mental institutions and services (Rodriguez, 2013). Therefore, many community members refuse to seek help and the mental illnesses go unnoticed. And even when the mental illness are acknowledged, latinos are known for asking extended family members, the community, church leaders, and spiritual healers for help and treatment instead of admitting themselves at hospitals (Rodriguez, 2013). Many latinos feel apprehensive towards mental illnesses and therefore, searching for help seems like such a taboo in the community. Moreover, according to the National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health, Hispanics are a high-risk group for depression, substance abuse and anxiety. About 1 in every 7 Latinos has attempted suicide (Rodriguez, 2013). Therefore, this puts them more at risk because of the lack of efficient treatment and care for people suffering with mental illnesses in their community especially in this generation. Furthemore, many elderly Latinos in the population find this acculturation overwhelming

These mental health concerns are attributable to the long-standing tradition that Latina women should not speak about their problems to anyone, regardless of their relationship. Poverty coupled with a secret vow of silence make Latina women more susceptible to diagnosable mental diseases like depression and anxiety. Latina women who may possess a mental illness not only refuse to talk about it, they do not seek out proper treatment. In the Latino community, mental illness is either ignored or negatively sanctioned. It is almost taboo to discuss having any sort of mental illness since many consider it to be a phase or issue of a different nature.

Mental illness is an increasing problem in America. Currently about 26.2% of Americans suffer from a mental disorder. A mental illness/disorder is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, and ability to relate to others and daily functions. Mental illness can affect humans of any age, race, gender and socioeconomic status. However the care that is needed to effectively cure and help the people affected by the illness is not equal for everyone here in American, especially for African Americans.

Having had a stroke at the age of 11 that eventually led to depression, I am familiar with the difficulties of having a mental illness, but no access to treatment. In Venezuela, there is a stigma attached to these illnesses, which contributes to the treatments to be either very expensive or very difficult to find. Everyone should have access to help while struggling with a mental illness; they are as serious and dangerous as physical illnesses, and

Immigration is the means for a individual that is not originally from an area or country to migrate to another area, “the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country” (Google, 2017). When an individual from a different country migrates into a foreign country they undergo “immediate stressors associated with meeting basic survival needs, losing the familiar, learning English, and meeting the demands of life in a new environment. They also soon face resettlement challenges of cop- ing with cultural change, mobilizing resources to meet their needs, and formulating future life goals” (Timberlake, Faber, Wall, Taylor, Sabatino, 2003) Immigrants usually rely on their spirituality, moral frameworks, culture framework and famility sustaining

Mental Illness has always been a taboo throughout multiple cultures. Specifically in the Hispanic culture, if one is sad, they pretend like they’re ok and move on. You don’t tell anyone about the Xanax addiction you currently carry or the suicide plan that sits heavy in the back of your head. You don’t tell anyone how much it hurts that you’re not skinny enough, that you’re ribs don’t stick out enough. Or how you’ll have a mental breakdown if you eat more than a thousand calories in one day.

The topic of mental illness had become a recurring theme in my life during 2015. Health and wellness of the mind was a topic never brought up in my household during my childhood and well into my adolescence. My father always reminded me “Ashley, were black. We don't get depressed or anxious, we just face our problems head on because we’re naturally strong people.” Constantly hearing this gave me the false notion that mental

In the United States, the Latino American population has risen by over 40% within the past decade and accounts for over 17.1% of the Nations society. In 2050, the Latino Community is expected to make up nearly one-fourth of the population and 2/3 of the U.S. Hispanics are from the Mexican-American Subgroup. In the United States, there has been extensive research examining the prevalence of varying psychiatric disorders among the Latino Hispanic Communities. There are many deeply rooted and socioeconomic factors that may contribute to the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of psychiatric disorders. Example factors, such as reception of immigrations, history of immigration, experiences involving discrimination, and strength of an ethnic community, are just to name a few. Due to the expansion of the Latino and Hispanic minorities in the United States, this has become a major challenge for today’s healthcare system.

A man freezes to death in the early hours of the day, a young woman overdoses in a alleyway, a vulnerable teenager struggles to find food. These stories all have something in common which fuels their suffering: an untreated mental illness. As time goes on, the number of people with mental disorders increases; consequently, the long-term effects are becoming more apparent. America is particularly notable for its lack of accessibility in comparison to other nations, despite studies showing the benefits otherwise. With the psychiatric industry itself to blame, a minute amount of people actually receive the treatment they badly need to live. Social detriment follows mental decline in a traceable pattern: untreated mental illness in society presents