In the last two years, residents of San Mateo County have had to deal, like others across the country, with the loss, be it health, employment, economic or even loved ones, situations that they have worsened in communities such as Latinos, so mental health care has become a critical point to address in order to advance in daily life through the Power of Healing.
Around one in eight people in the world live with at least one mental disorder, among which depression and anxiety stand out, accounting for 25 percent of these cases. In the United States, approximately 40 percent of Hispanic adults say they are experiencing symptoms of depression, said Diana A. Otero, senior director of Special Projects at the Latino Community Foundation.
He added that, during a national investigation carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?CDC, for its acronym in English?, as the world is living with and learning from the far-reaching effects of the pandemic by COVID-19., “we all need to reflect on the enormous toll it has taken on our mental health while also recognizing the incredible work of our community organizations as they have given everything they have to help our community.”
And it is that, he said, these grassroots organizations have protected the mental health of immigrant workers and families, providing critical services, sharing trusted information, and spreading hope.
The founder and executive director of the non-profit organization ALAS ?Ayudando a Latinos a Sanar?, Belinda Arriaga, highlighted during the session "The Power Of Healing: Latinos & Mental Health", "culture is our medicine", while who highlighted the importance of our rich Latino traditions and how they can connect us to our ancestors and make us stronger.
Rosario Puga Depmsey, director of Hispanic Services for the non-profit organization KARA, which provides bereavement support to children, adolescents, families and adults, stressed that the Latino community needs support to deal with all the losses they are facing during this pandemic.
"Our community needs resources, it needs support," he said while reflecting on the need for the Latino community to obtain more and better information and education about the grieving process and how to support or provide that helping hand to another person.
"Pain and our grief can be transformed and can be healed. We can continue with our lives no matter how great the grief, suffering and pain, "he stressed while pointing out the importance of seeking help when going through a situation of loss.
And it is that, the families and friends of the 40,000 Latinos who died from COVID in California and many more around the world will never be the same.
The community leaders agreed that suffering from any type of loss, especially that of a loved one, does not disappear and there is no magical cure, however, with the right help it can be transformed into strength.
“There is help and support. And even though we have friends and family who can be there for us, sometimes we need someone else, sometimes we need that extra hand, that extra ear to listen to us and someone who understands that there is something in the pain that we share," Belinda said. Arriaga.
Grief is a unique process and it is an individual process. The best way to honor and remember a loved one is one that feels special to each of us, whatever. Whether it's putting up an altar or having a candle, a photo, cooking your favorite food, attending funerals or celebrating through the holidays."
However, both stressed that mental health continues to be stigmatized despite the fact that everyone, at some point in our lives, will need specialized support to face one or more problems.
«Mental health is like an act of care and love for yourself, your heart, your spirit, your mind, your body, to be able to get that support, to talk to someone. Also being able to lend a hand when perhaps things are not going so well," Arriaga stressed.
Notably, the first step in moving toward mental health care, they said, is acknowledging that you're going through a difficult time and that it's okay to get support.
The Latino Community Foundation recalled that some of the organizations that support the Latino community in terms of mental health are: ALAS, KARA, KLBRI, CARECE SF, La Familia Counseling Center, Clínica Tepati, La Familia Counselin Services, Immigrants Rising, La Familia Sana , La Raza Family Institute, One Life Counseling Center and Star Vista.
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