– Neuropsychiatric disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. (followed by cardiovascular and circulatory diseases and neoplasms. Neuropsychiatric means how mental health disorders affect the central nervous system)
– Only 20% of Latinx who experience symptoms of a psychological disorder talk to a doctor about their symptoms, and only 10% contact a mental health professional.
– Nearly 4 in 5 Latinx youth suffer at least one traumatic childhood experience like poverty or abuse, and lack the proper care, support and environment they need for healthy development in formative years .
– Immigrants are more susceptible to developing PTSD and stress disorders, depending on the frequency, duration, and multiplicity of traumatic experiences suffered during various stages of migration (Kouyoumdjian et al., 2003)
– Cultural dissonance and acculturative stress, discrimination, socioeconomic pressures, loss of social support mechanisms upon immigration, and exposure to drugs and alcohol often lead to chemical use and dependency” (Rios-Ellis, 2005, p.10).
– Cultural Dissonance is an uncomfortable sense of inner conflict, disharmony, confusion, experienced by people during change in their cultural environment. The changes are often unexpected, unexplained or not understandable due to various types of cultural dynamics
– Acculturative Stress is the psychological impact of adaptation to a new culture. Stress factors include family’s legal status, forced versus voluntary migration, and perceived discrimination