Cultural Mental Health Services Through the Lifespan: Adult

Cultural stigmas and social taboos make mental health a difficult topic, creating barriers to seeking treatment and leaving communities vulnerable to suffering from mental health issues. Our Latine community is far more likely to face these barriers as well as inadequate access to treatment services.

On March 30, the Progreso Latino Fund hosted the first of three webinar panel discussions that aim to break down the barriers to mental health supports for our Latine community.

The first webinar focused on adult mental health care and issues surrounding affordability, access, cultural appropriateness and education on the benefits of seeking treatment.

Panelists
Vikiana Gray – Mental Health Clinician, West Haven Mental Health Clinic
Andrea Mendiola, MD – Connecticut Mental Health Center; The Hispanic Clinic
Myrta Soto – Clinical Social Work/Therapist, MSW, LCSW

Moderator
Frances Padilla, Former President, Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut

Event Recap

What We Heard

• Mental health includes all aspects of our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing.
• Mental health is an important part of our overall health and should be paid attention to every day.
• Stigma associated with mental health creates a barrier for seeking help.
• One in five adults suffer from a mental health condition.
• Latine adults are more than twice as likely to feel down or depressed when compared to white adults.
• Trauma is a prevalent cause of poor mental health in the Latine community.
• The stress of living conditions often contributes to poor mental health.
• Mental health conditions can result in physical symptoms like headaches and discomfort.
• Quality treatment requires a trust between patients and providers.
• More Latine mental health providers are needed to overcome language and cultural barriers with patients.
• Access to health insurance is a barrier for many in the Latine community, causing people to wait until their conditions deteriorate before seeking treatment.

What You Can Do

• Commit to reducing stigma around mental health.
• Demand culturally responsive and bilingual mental health services.
• Encourage more educational events in trusted spaces.
• Advocate for increased insurance access.

Resources for You

• The Hispanic Clinic, Connecticut Mental Health Center
• West Haven Mental Health Clinic
• Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut
• Husky for Immigrants Campaign
• Boost to CT Medicaid rates could mean more access for patients — CT Mirror
• CT legislators push for more mental health support for kids

Questions? Please contact Carmen Burgos.

Upcoming sessions in this series:

• June 29, 2023 – Cultural Mental Health Services Through the Lifespan: Children/Youth (LEARN MORE)

• September 28, 2023 – Cultural Mental Health Services Through the Lifespan: Elderly (save the date!)

Learn more about the Progreso Latino Fund.