This month is National Hispanic Heritage Month. According to The Office of Minority Health, there are over 62.1 million individuals with Hispanic heritage in the United States, making up 18.9% of our population.¹ Additionally, roughly 42 million Americans speak Spanish as their first language.² With such a significant portion of our population comprised of Hispanic Americans, it is staggering that only 36% of Hispanic Americans receive mental health support (compared to 52% of white/non-Hispanic citizens)³.
What barriers are keeping Hispanic Americans from receiving healthcare? And what can Hispanic American patients do to seek out culturally and linguistically competent care? Let’s break down this issue in today’s blog.
Language Barriers
Lack of Insurance
Cultural Misunderstandings
As we know, cultural background and environment are key factors when it comes to the way that mental illness symptoms might manifest. But historically, mental healthcare providers have been primarily trained to recognize symptoms in white European Americans. Because of this, it’s easy for providers who are not culturally competent to miss symptoms in LatinX patients and misdiagnose them.
When there is a misdiagnosis, the patient is unable to get the help they need. It’s crucial for there to be more cultural sensitivity training in the mental health world to prevent this.
Financial Barriers
Social Stigma
Sara Pettit, LMSW, one of our clinicians, states that social stigma can be a major barrier for the community. “Stigma and stereotypes can cause symptoms to be minimized or overlooked when healthcare does not represent the community it is treating, or when providers do not seek cultural competency. This can deter one from sharing these symptoms again.”
Legal Status
Finally, legal status can be a massive barrier. Many undocumented LatinX Americans are not eligible for health insurance. Although many children of undocumented immigrants are eligible for insurance through the Affordable Care Act, this is not always widely known. Beyond the issue of insurance, there is a fear of being discovered or being reported to ICE. Faced with the possibility of deportation, many undocumented immigrants simply choose to avoid mental healthcare altogether.
How To Find Culturally and Linguistically Competent Mental Healthcare
It’s important to find a therapist who understands you, who you click well with, in order to receive the best possible care. So what can you do, as a patient, to ensure that you find culturally and linguistically competent mental healthcare? Here are a few tips:
Look For LatinX Providers
One way to ensure that your mental health care provider understands your culture is to look for other LatinX therapists, psychiatrists, or counselors. These professionals will have firsthand experience with the culture, which offers more confidence that they won’t simply dismiss you. You can also look for providers who have experience working with LatinX patients.
Pettit describes it this way: “Sometimes seeking it out means feeling represented in a provider who looks like you. Sometimes it means speaking the same language. Sometimes it means checking in with one’s own cognitive biases around different dialects or colloquialisms and understanding that words may hold a different weight for you than for others. I would recommend that someone seeking this out in a provider checks in with their values and needs as it relates to their cultural identity. Ask yourself ‘What helps me to feel safe? Understood?’”
Ask Questions
Generally, there is an intake appointment or an initial consultation with a mental health provider before you go on to work with them as a whole. Don’t be afraid to ask questions during this time. Ask them how often they work with patients from your background, if they’ve gone through any cultural competence training, and if they have anyone who is bilingual on their staff? You may have other questions, too. It can help to write them down beforehand so that you remember them all.
“Don’t hesitate to ask potential healthcare providers about their experience working with patients from your cultural background,” says Paniagua. “Inquire about their language proficiency, cultural sensitivity training, and their approach to tailoring care to your specific needs.”
Take Recommendations
Ask people in your community if there are any mental health provider networks that they recommend who are culturally and linguistically competent. If you don’t have friends or relatives who are currently in therapy, there may be local cultural organizations who have resources listing providers that they recommend. You can also search through reviews. “This might include searching for reviews or testimonials from individuals of similar cultural backgrounds,” explains Paniagua.
At Rivia Mind, cultural and linguistic competence and care is important to us. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you or to schedule a free 15 minute consultation with a provider today.
Resources:
- Hispanic/Latino – The Office of Minority Health
- How Many People Speak Spanish? A Full Breakdown by Country – Rosetta Stone
- Hispanic and Latino Americans – SAMHSA
- Wanted: bilingual and bicultural counselors – Counseling Today
- Census Bureau Releases New Information On Health Insurance by Race and Hispanic Origin – Census.gov
- Hispanix/LatinX – The National Alliance on Mental Illness
