There is a stigma of mental illness in the Latino community, which prevents teens from getting professional help. They are ashamed to be feeling like this and many times they can’t accept that they need help until it’s too late. Many times they ask their family or friends for help and they don’t know how to help them or they might not have access to mental health services. Unfortunately, there is also very little awareness of mental health issues in the Latino community.
How Can You Help?
There are several organizations that are experienced and can put you in touch with professional help locally. These are some organizations that can help:
- National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- NIMH Suicide Prevention
Teens and adults can also reach out to people at their school or work such as, a social worker, teacher, human resources or their doctor that can refer them to someone. The important thing is that they get the help they need before it’s too late.
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