Annotated Bibliography
The following articles and studies are resources to better understand the stigma surrounding mental health in the Hispanic/Latino population. !!!!
"Overcoming Mental Health Stigma in the Latino Community" by Glenn Campbell
According to this source, there is stigma that exists around mental health in Hispanic/Latino communities and the author provides different methods that have helped improve the quality of mental health services her Hispanic/Latino patients in Cleveland receive. In the article, statistics explain that “The Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reported that 28 percent of Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. had depression symptoms. So did 13 percent of Mexican Americans and 10 percent of Cuban Americans” (Campbell). Furthermore, it refers to those statistics that shed light on how many of these people actually seek medical attention, which was significantly lower. In addition to providing some background on psychiatrist Diana Lorenzo, the website provides some information as to what she does to help Spanish-speaking patients in Cleveland. Lastly, the website lists 5 factors that help her improve Cleveland area Latinos’ access to mental health care, which include removing the language barrier, collaborating with primary care physicians, encouraging family involvement, offering sensitive, culturally competent treatment, and educating about the physiologic roots of mental illness (Campbell)
This source is helpful in understanding the different ways to combat the stigma around mental health in the Latino/Hispanic community. It is short and goes straight to the point, which is why I will not be using it as a primary source, but instead as supporting research. It is reliable because the website does end with .org in addition to it being a medical website. It includes medical opinions on this issue as well as some statistics on how many people from different Hispanic/Latino have mental illnesses, such as depression, and what percentage of them seek medical help.
"Understanding Culture: Mental Illness in the Hispanic Community”
by Melissa Ochoa-Perez
According to the author, the Latino population in Texas is highly diverse and constitutes the largest ethnic minority group, accounting for 50% of the population. However, they experience increased disparities in accessing mental health treatment compared to Anglo Americans. Factors such as fear of deportation, language barriers, and cultural differences can significantly impact the quality of care they receive. Many Latinos work low-wage jobs without health insurance, and the fear of being stigmatized prevents them from seeking help for mental health concerns. As stated in the text, “ Hispanic cultures fear being labeled “loco” if they express mental anxiety or concerns, and do not want to be viewed as weak or mentally unfit.” (Ochoa-Perez), many fear the judgment from society if they suggest that they may suffer from mental illnesses or disorders. It is more acceptable to describe their condition as a physical problem instead of a mental/emotional manner. Furthermore, some Latinos prefer to treat their symptoms with home remedies or healers, which may not be effective or may interact with prescribed medication. These factors contribute to a significant gap in mental health care for the Latino population.
This source highlights major factors as to why the Hispanic community is reluctant to seek mental health treatment. It is helpful to see different doctors of Hispanic/Latino background give their own explanations as to why there is a stigma to compare and contrast their reasoning; there are often similar reasons for this. I would use this source as supporting evidence for factors that contribute to the stigma of mental health care. I would say that this source is credible because it ends with .org. It is a medical website written by a doctor of Hispanic/Latino background. This information was published recently in 2019 so it should work well, I doubt that there will be drastic changes in something written more recently.
"Working with Latino Patients"
by Lisa Fortuna
The article begins with general information about the Hispanic/Latino population living in the United States. Dr. Fortuna explains what it means to be Hispanic and Latino. She proceeds to give significant historical events that may or may not have impacted different Hispanic/Latino groups such as Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and others. This background information serves to give readers an understanding of various cultural experiences. She gives a lot of information on different struggles the community could be facing . PTSD, depression, and stress related to the immigration process and integration challenges are common among recent Latino immigrants to the US. Trauma and psychiatric disorders may persist in populations with a history of political violence, which highlights the need for systematic screening and outreach interventions. There is a significant underrepresentation of men in mental health services, as well as youth from the Central American exodus and children of undocumented parents. Dr. Fortuna includes graphs in the article about culture-bound syndromes in addition to the cultural differences of Anglo Americans and Latinos which are both important to understanding the stigma around mental health care. She also goes over common stigmas surrounding seeking mental health care as well as the best practices to help those patients.
This source is reliable because it is from psychiatry.org and it was written by a medical professional. It has a lot of information about the community as well as historical events that could have impacted the livelihood of this population. I like this article because it doesn’t JUST talk about the stigmas but other factors that make the community reluctant to seek help like insurance or immigration status. I liked the history section and demographics of the population to get a better understanding of this topic. This source covers a lot of the categories to include on the website, and this source works best to use for the “what makes this population unique” section.
"Hispanic/Latinx Immigrants and First-Generation Americans"
NAMI
This website shows the importance of understanding the diverse experiences and needs of the Hispanic/Latino community. The text explains that Hispanic/Latinx immigrants come from various nationalities, ethnicities, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds and have different documentation statuses. The text explains that members of the community may experience significant stressors depending on their reasons for migration and the way they migrated. This can lead to severe physical, emotional, and mental health trauma. This can increase their risk of poor mental health, worsen existing mental illness, or result in a new chronic condition. The website touches on trauma among refugees and asylum seekers as well. The text explains that refugees and asylum seekers are vulnerable to worsening mental health outcomes due to trauma, violence, and other social injustices unaddressed in their home countries. The migration journey and relocation to a new country can also cause physical and emotional trauma. Additionally, the source mentions that a person born in the U.S. to immigrant parents may experience conflict between their parents' cultural attitudes, beliefs, and values and those that are prevalent in the U.S. Parents may try to maintain their cultural roots, while their U.S.-born children may dissociate from their parents' beliefs. This can lead to difficulties in discussing and resolving differing perspectives within the family, as cultural beliefs and practices are fundamental to a person's identity.
I wanted to use the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) as a source because they give a lot of information about many different topics such as mental health factors for immigrants AND factors for second-generation immigrants. I really liked the section of children born in the US to immigrant parents because it shows how first generation immigrants pass on their mental illnesses and trauma onto their children. In addition, they end with a section about finally seeking treatment. They have resources at the bottom of the page as well. This a well rounded website with plenty of information for me to use as reference for my website.