Erase the Stigma: Survey Highlights Mental Health Concerns Among Latinos
Elevated risk for suicide attempts in Hispanic community calls for increased awareness and assistance from community
Midvale, UT: With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirming an increase in suicide rates among young Latinas, there is now a call for greater community awareness on how multiple factors contribute to this increase, along with effective interventions for how to remedy this mounting concern among this population.
The CDC reported in 2012 that nearly 14 percent of Latinas between the ages of 14 and 18 attempted suicide. This percentage, according to the same report, was higher when comparing rates of attempted suicide among African-American girls (approximately 9 percent) and Caucasian girls (around 8 percent) within the same age range. Additionally, it has been found that Hispanic girls who have attempted to end their own lives are not isolated to just one Hispanic group. Among those surveyed, female adolescents reported being of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Honduran, and Dominican decent, to name a few.
Research that has been conducted since the late 1970s suggests that the alarming rate of suicide attempts among Latinos is related to the collision of social, individual, developmental, and cultural influences. Cultural expectations at home that differ from social expectations can cause some degree of turmoil for young people who are still in a crucial period of development. When emotional distress of this kind becomes overwhelming, and when there is a lack of awareness with regards to mental health services available, the result could be an attempt to take one's own life when it is felt that nothing will improve or balance the demands of one's culture and social influences.
Professionals in the field of mental health agree that, in order to effectively combat this concern, it must be tackled in several ways. Information pertaining to mental health and suicide needs to be made readily available to parents and young people and in the language that these individuals are most comfortable with. Furthermore, given the nature of the Hispanic culture as one that is oriented around family, mental health services that include interventions with family members can ultimately elicit favorable treatment outcomes when a youth's support network is woven into treatment for mental health concerns. Lastly, it is important for communities that have a high Hispanic population, and resources within those communities, to begin talking about this issue. Conversation about an important topic such as this can often cause people to be more attuned to what is going on with other community members and hopefully prevent another young person from the Hispanic community from resorting to such drastic measures as an attempt at suicide.
"With a staggering number of individuals in the Hispanic community attempting suicide, and Mental Health Awareness month just around the corner, it could not be a better time to shed a spotlight on such an important issue," said Jennifer Miller, Director of Clinical Services at Highland Ridge Hospital. "Hopefully by raising awareness about the mental health of young Latinos, it will bring about change for how families recognize the symptoms of mental illness and approach the concept of mental health treatment when it is needed. In doing so, it is hoped that the rate of suicides among Hispanics will diminish."
About Highland Ridge Hospital
Highland Ridge Hospital specializes in the compassionate and supportive treatment of individuals struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. Our group of caring medical professionals has helped our clients achieve something very special - sobriety. For more information, visit www.Highlandridgehospital.com.
