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.

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

23. Questions?
THANK YOU!
¡GRACIAS!
CarlosMHA@att.net