This New Spanish-Language Site Is Breaking the Stigma Around Mental Health and Suicide — and It’s the Resource Our Community Needs
July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. We know that our families and the larger Latine community often brush mental health needs under the rug but it is so important that we talk about this. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) launched a new Spanish-language website to help share resources and knowledge. These conversations are hard to have in a Latine household, especially with immigrant parents. However, the conversations are important and we should be more open about mental health needs in our families.
Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is the right time to talk about stigma in the Latine community
According to studies, the Latine community is just as vulnerable to mental health issues yet our culture prevents seeking treatment. The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) found that 50 percent of Latine youths who suffer from mental health illnesses will not receive treatment. There are several factors that play a role here from financial constraints, access to care, and cultural pressures.
The last one is something we are all too familiar with among our families. When we face these issues, it is often seen as a weakness. Seeking help is an admission of weakness and we are often discouraged from seeking treatment.
Statistically, NAMI says that only 35.1 percent of Latine people will get treatment for their illnesses. This is compared to the national average of 46.2 percent of people with mental health illnesses who get treatment. Treatment is crucial as many people will progressively get worse over the year without the intervention of mental health experts.
There is now a place to find resources in Spanish
In conjunction with Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, the AFSP launched a new Spanish-language website. The new website contains information on mental health illnesses, as well as warning signs and risk factors for suicide. The resources offered could help make our families and communities healthier and safer.
“AFSP is dedicated to helping all communities impacted by suicide, and now we are proud to say we have an incredible resource, in Spanish, that can save lives,” AFSP CEO Bob Gebbia said in a press release. “So often we hear from people that just finding our website and the information and resources that it provides was a lifeline, and now we can reach so many more people in our country who may be vulnerable to suicide.”
Bringing visibility to mental health issues can help break down the stigma and societal pressures. We have had experience witnessing our families struggle to understand mental health issues. Even more, we have seen family members struggle to tell people about their struggles.
The suicide rates among the Latine community have been increasing over the years, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The data shows that between 2018 and 2023, the suicide rate among Latine people climbed almost 10 percent. The significant growth in suicide among out community is a call of urgency to work together to break down the stigma. Most importantly, we need to have deeper conversations normalizing seeking treatment for mental health illness.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
