Hispanic Public Health Crisis: Why Do Only 1 In 11 Latinos With Mental Health Issues Seek Proper Care?

According to the Office of Minority Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are some troubling statistics about mental health and the Latino population. Consider this: non-Hispanic Whites received mental health treatment 2 times more often than Hispanics, suicide attempts for Hispanic girls -- between grades 9-12 -- were 70 percent higher than for White girls in the same age group and Hispanics living below poverty levels are three times more likely to report psychological distress.

But there is a huge issue with healthcare access -- so much so that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) calls the lack of mental health care the most severe health problem in the Hispanic community. And it's not just health professionals who think that — in a recent survey, the Pew Research Center found that one of the top three concerns for Hispanics was access to healthcare.

To be clear, Hispanics have the same rates of mental illnesses than the general population but their lack of healthcare access puts them at greater risk. For example, the 2013 “National Healthcare Disparities Report” by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that of Hispanic adults who suffered from a major depressive episode in the previous year, less than 55 percent received treatment. And that value was even lower -- 30 percent -- for adolescents. Such low numbers are seen across the board, as data released by the APA in 2001 found that of the Hispanics with mental health issues, only one in 11 seek out professional help.

There are several reasons for this disparity including the fact that many Hispanics are not insured; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 10.2 million Latinos are uninsured. Additionally, as with any minority group, finding a professional or a center that caters to the bilingual or Spanish-speaking demographic can be a challenge. In fact, the National Association for Mental Illness (NAMI) cites that for every 100,000 Latinos, there are as few as 29 mental health professionals.