Learn the signs and symptoms of the most common mental health diagnoses in Latinos/Hispanics. Be culturally competent when you work with families from a different ethnicity, race, religion, etc.
Call Girls in Gagan Vihar (delhi) call me [🔝 9953056974 🔝] escort service 24X7
Mental Health Issues in Latinos/Hispanics
1. MENTAL HEALTH
ISSUES AMONG
HISPANICS/LATINOS
Latinos in Social Media
March 29, 2012
Carlos Martinez, MHA, M.Ed.
2. Latino Population in the US
United States Estimate Percent
Total Population 308,745,538 100
Latinos/Hispanics 50,477,594 16.3% of total
population in US
Mexican 31,798,258 63.0% of total
Hispanics in US
Puerto Rican 4,623,716 9.2% of total
Hispanics in US
Cuban 1,785,547 3.5% of total
Hispanics in US
Other 12,270,073 24.3% of total
Hispanic/Latino Hispanics in US
Source: census.gov Year2010
3. Demographics in North Carolina
North Carolina Population Percent
Total Population 9,535,483 100.0
• Latino/Hispanic 800,120 8.39% of total
population in NC
• Mexican 486,960 5.10% of total
population in NC
• Puerto Rican 71,800 0.75% of total
population in NC
• Salvadorians 37,778 0.39% of total
population in NC
• Cuban 18,079 0.18% of total
population in NC
• Other Hispanic or 185,503 1.94% of total
Latino population in NC
Source: Census.gov 3
Year 2010
4. Mental Health
Definition:
A state of emotional and psychological well-
being in which an individual is able to use his
or her cognitive and emotional capabilities,
function in society, and meet the ordinary
demands of everyday life.
5. Common issues among Latinos
Stress
Depression
Anxiety Disorders
Alcoholism
6. What is stress?
A physical, chemical, or emotional factor
that causes bodily or mental tension and
may be a factor in disease causation
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary).
Stress is an unavoidable effect of living. It
has been linked to mental and physical
problems.
7. Causes of Stress
Death of a loved one
Lack of documents
$$$ - more or less
Acculturation process
Health issues
Family conflicts
Alcohol/Drug abuse
Parent/Child relationships
Bullying
Lack of work / Financial
issues Life changes (marriage,
baby, new job, etc)
8. Consequences of Stress
Over time, unattended
stress can lead to:
Ulcers
Chemical Cancer
dependencies
Mental High blood
Illness pressure
Heart
Attacks/Strokes
9. Common Mental Health Disorders
among Latinos/Hispanics
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Depression
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD)
Alcoholism
10. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Restlessness
Feeling nervous or on edge/tense
Feeling a lump in your throat
Difficulty concentrating
Fatigue
Irritability
Impatience
11. GAD Symptoms
Being easily distracted
Muscle tension
Trouble falling or staying asleep
Excessive sweating
Shortness of breath
Stomachache
Diarrhea
Headache
12. Symptoms of Depression
Loss of interest in normal daily activities
Feeling sad or down
Feeling hopeless
Crying spells for no apparent reason
Problems sleeping
Trouble focusing or concentrating
Difficulty making decisions
Unintentional weight gain or loss
13. Symptoms of Depression
Irritability
Restlessness
Being easily annoyed
Feeling fatigued or weak
Feeling worthless
Loss of interest in sex
Thoughts of suicide or suicidal behavior
Unexplained physical problems, such as
back pain or headaches
14. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) Symptoms
Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event,
including images, thoughts, or perceptions.
Recurrent distressing dreams of the event. Note: in children,
there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content.
Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring
(includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions,
hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes, including
those that occur upon awakening).
Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or
external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the
traumatic event.
Physiological reactivity upon exposure to internal or external
cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic
event.
15. PTSD Symptoms (DSM-IV-TR)
Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations
associated with the trauma
Efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse
recollections of the trauma
Inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma
Markedly diminished interest or participation in
significant activities
Feeling of detachment or estrangement from others
Restricted range of affect (e.g., unable to have loving
feelings)
Sense of foreshortened future (e.g., does not expect to
have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span)
16. Alcoholism
This is a disease that affects all areas of the
person.
Biological, psychological, and social factors
interact to produce illness.
Bio-Psycho-Social Disease
17. Alcoholism / Alcohol Abuse
Drinking alone or in secret
Being unable to limit the amount of alcohol
Not remembering conversations or commitments, sometimes referred
to as "blacking out"
Losing interest in activities and hobbies that used to bring pleasure
Feeling a need or compulsion to drink
Keeping alcohol in unlikely places at home, at work or in the car
Becoming intoxicated intentionally to feel good or drinking to feel
"normal"
Having legal problems or problems with relationships, employment
or finances
Building a tolerance to alcohol so that you need an increasing number
of drinks to feel alcohol's effects
Experiencing physical withdrawal symptoms — such as nausea,
sweating and shaking — if you don't drink
18. Barriers to Mental Health and
Substance Abuse Services
There are 20 Latino mental health professionals for every
100,000 Latinos in the US
Less than 1 in 20 Latinos with mental disorders use
services from a mental health specialist
Fewer than 1 in 11 Latinos contact mental health care
specialists to seek treatment
Latinos’ reluctance to utilize mental health services: “No
se lava la ropa en casa ajena” (One must not wash one’s
dirty clothes in someone else’s home).
19. Reasons why Latinos are not receiving
MH/SA services
No health care coverage / low income
Lack of knowledge about services available
Language barrier
Fear of agencies and entities
Stigma associated with mental illness/substance
abuse
Believe in supernatural forces
Ethnic and racial prejudice
20. Outreach
Newspapers, magazines (i.e. Hola Noticias, TV
Guia)
Radio programs (Norsan Multimedia 1310 AM and
1060 AM)
Internet (i.e., Facebook)
Lectures and seminars (i.e., faith-based
organizations, Latino agencies)
Police Department (CMPD): Child Development –
Community Policing program
21. Know Anyone That Needs
Services?
MECKLENBURG COUNTY
AREA MENTAL HEALTH
MeckLINK
(704) 336-6404
22. References
U.S. Bureau of the Census (2010). U.S. interim projections by age, race, and
Hispanic origin. Retrieved January 11, 2010, from http://www.census.gov
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Surgeon General
(2001). Mental Health Care for Hispanic Americans. In mental health: Culture,
race, and ethnicity. A supplement to mental health: A report of the Surgeon
General. SAMHSA.
Williams, S. & Kohout, J.L. (1999). A survey of licensed practitioners of
psychology: Activities, roles, and services. Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.
22