Latino Mental Health Could Benefit if Senator Padilla’s Initiative is Approved

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Recently, Dr. Ilan Shapiro shared with Parriva that mental health is one of the most important issues at the moment, and although the Latino community is not massively involved in this discussion, they are starting to integrate through the different services becoming available to them.

“Mental health is like the skin. We only pay attention to it when we get burned,” he says. “We all have good days and bad days. Exercising, doing yoga, or meditation is very important. Imagine, if we as adults have problems, the challenges that children face are even greater. That’s where adults need to step in. Sharing tools with them so they can navigate this period. It’s a collective effort,” he adds.

Well, this could change.

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) on Tuesday introduced a bill seeking to lift barriers to mental health care among Latinos.

The pandemic exacerbated mental health needs in the U.S., especially among Latinos, whose rates of depression, anxiety and suicide have grown since 2020.

There’s also a shortage of providers who are Latino or who can speak Spanish or Indigenous languages from Latin America. Padilla’s bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide information on culturally and linguistically appropriate treatments in its materials. U.S. Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) is introducing the House version of the bill. It would also direct the agency to increase awareness of symptoms of mental illnesses common among Latinos and address the impact of COVID on the mental and behavioral health of Hispanics.

Only 36.1% of Latinos ages 18 or older with a mental illness received services in 2021, compared to the U.S. average of 47.2%, according to Padilla’s office.

Overall, the suicide rate for Hispanics increased by 6.8% from 2018 to 2021, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We must eliminate barriers to mental health care, because no one should suffer in silence,” Padilla said in a statement.

“The Mental Health for Latinos Act will improve mental health outcomes by strategically reducing stigma and encouraging people to reach out for help.”

Padilla recently announced that he is preparing to launch the first-ever Senate Mental Health Caucus.