Latino Mental Health: A Case Study

The population of Latinos in the U.S. continues to increase. In 2014, Latinos accounted for 17.4% of the population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). Many Latinos are dealing with mental health disorders, such as depression. To help the well-beings of Latinos, counselors need to understand treatments based on depression. Additionally, one has to understand the cultural factors within the population of Latinos. Recently, Kanter et al. (2015) depicts a need for more research in order to improve treatment outcomes for Latinos dealing with depression (p. 178). Another study demonstrates the necessities to decrease observed disparities in care experienced by Latino community (Gonzales, Hurtado de Mendoza, Kaltman, & Serrano, 2014, p. 83). In addition,
In a recent study Santiago-Rivera et al. (2008) states, “Depression and depressive symptoms appear to be very high among Latinas, in comparison to both Latino men and Caucasian and other ethnic minority women” (p. 175), demonstrating that Latinas are in need of mental health services. Also, Organista (1995) depicts Central American experiences of migration-related stress leads to psychological problems (p. 59). The migration-related stress factor for Latinos with depression are considered, whereby “The population faces great environmental challenges, including underemployment, inadequate housing, limited financial resources, loss of social support networks, displacement and disruption of the family, and limited English language proficiency” (Bush, Diéguez, Kanter, Rivera, & Rusch, 2008, p. 491). Latinos are in need of resources to enhance the quality of life. Latinos dealing with many stressors are vulnerable to many conditions physiologically and psychologically. In general, Latinos are in need of treatment for depression, but counselors need to acknowledge and incorporate treatment that are culturally