Depression? Doesn’t Exist

 Christian Orizabal

Depression? Doesn’t Exist

“Just be happy.” A seemingly harmless phrase I commonly heard growing up whenever someone would mention they were feeling upset in an instance that was seen abnormal. A common belief in Latin American Culture is that mental illness doesn’t exist. Many in the Latin American community will write off depression as a form of being “lazy” “crazy” or “dramatic”. Often in the Latin American community jokes are made about how Hispanic parents react to hearing about their child having a mental illness, such as depression. Saturday Night Live even had a skit that slightly touched on the topic where Pedro Pascal, who was playing a Hispanic mother, made a remark in reaction to mental health saying “My son does not have depression. He just likes to sit in the dark.” Why is it that mental health is brushed off and disregarded in such a way when it is anything but a joking matter.

Religion is big in Latin American culture and it very much impacts how they go about their daily lives. According to a study in the journal Hispanic Health Care International, “Latines report experiencing mental health issues at about the same rates as white non-Hispanics in the United States, but they are only half as likely to seek treatment, largely due to stigma influenced by cultural and religious views.” It’s common to believe that mental health issues are results of having bad faith and in some cases tied to demonic influences. Who’s to tell them that this isn’t true. If a doctor can’t properly relay the important information to them and help them better understand the severity of mental illnesses then they are going to believe in what they know above all.

The Latin community faces a language barrier that causes them to be misled or even mistrust those who can offer them the help they need. In the article Why doesn’t the Latin X community believe in mental health? Shayla Rodriguez claims “bilingual patients are evaluated differently when evaluated in English versus Spanish.” Shayla claims that because of this language barrier Latinos are typically undertreated and even brings up an instance where this language barrier is an issue. Symptoms of depression can be labeled as “nervios” which directly translates to "nervousness" and does not serve justice to the severity of the illness being diagnosed.

It is great to take pride but sometimes it can be your biggest enemy. In the article Mental Health in the Latine Community and Its Stigma, Sophia Ortega quotes her uncle writing, “The reason behind a stigma such as this is probably tradition. Mexicans and Latinos in general, are proud people. No one wants to ask for help for any reason. Therapy is like a bad word. My mother would rather work three jobs to support her family than get assistance.” Many Latinos struggle with machismo and the idea of asking for help. You don’t want to be seen as weak in comparison to those who came before you who had gone through such great hardship to help pave the way for you to be where you are today.

Mental health is no joking matter and should not be treated as such. The Latin community needs to be offered the help it needs in order to combat this issue. Many struggle with mental illnesses such as depression but not all of them reach out due to the stigmas, the language barrier and even pride stemming from their heritage does not allow them to receive the help they need. What will it take before action is taken? The Stigma that mental health doesn’t exist or is far fetched needs to be addressed and it must be known that it’s ok to ask for help. They need to know that they can have faith in the healthcare system and that it will provide and care for them with their best interests in mind.

Resources

[1] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1540415319828265

[2] https://galeo.org/2019/07/why-doesnt-the-latin-x-community-believe-in-mental-health/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20when%20depression%20or,importantly%2C%20the%20mental%20health%20stigma.

[3] https://www.stepupformentalhealth.org/mental-health-in-the-latine-community-and-its-stigma/

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