Stats of Mexican Women and Mental Illness
Latinx/Hispanic women in the United States experience depression at twice the rate of Latinx/Hispanic men.
Statistics
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18% of Latinx people in the United States do not have health insurance
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As of 2020, 18.3% of the United States population were Latinx or Hispanic. Of those, over 16% identify with having a mental health condition, equaling about 10 million people.
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Latinx/Hispanic women in the United States experience depression at twice the rate of Latinx/Hispanic men. This is mostly due to social determinants of health such as income, education, and health status.
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The Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration says 50% of Hispanic teens reported using marijuana compared to 35% of whites and 40% of African Americans.
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Less than 55% of Hispanic adults with major depressive episodes receive treatment for depression.
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Only 20% of Latinx adults who have symptoms of a psychological disorder discuss them with a doctor and only 10% contact a mental health specialist.
Why the Stigma?
Mental health stigma is the largest community barrier to improving global mental health. In Latin American culture, the stigma is more prevalent. The World Health Organization claims that stigma surrounding mental ill-health is the biggest obstacle in the way of people seeking treatment.
There are many studies that suggest that the value of Familisimo, or the collective value of family unity, plays a role shaping the stigma around mental health. This means that family members will deny the presence of any symptoms of depression or anxiety unless unable to cope or if the condition was life threatening. It can also mean that family members who are suffering may hide their condition to protect their family.
Faith and religion also play a huge role in the stigmatization of mental health issues in Mexican culture. It is seen as a spiritual dilemma and is believed to be due to a lack of faith.
The American Psychiatric Association guided a study in 2017 that led to multiple highlights. Among them, they learned that a leading issue in Latinx patients receiving health care is due to the language barrier. Not only that, but bilingual patients were evaluated different in English than in Spanish and were more frequently under treated overall compared to whites. The APA also found that Latinx patients use anti-depressants at half the rate of their white counterparts.
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There are many mental health resources available for Latinx patients, including Latinx therapy, an effort to break the stigma of mental health treatment in Latinx community.