Today, on National Latino Physician Day, APA is celebrating the contributions—past and present—of its Hispanic and Latino membership to the field of psychiatry.
“We applaud our bilingual, bicultural members for their commitment to educating patients and families as well as other physicians with culturally relevant resources,” said APA President Ramaswamy Viswanathan, M.D., Dr.Med.Sc. “And it is equally important to acknowledge the disparity in mental health care for Hispanics and Latinos, so that we can continue to increase access to quality care.”
Among adults with mental illness, just 40% of Latinos received mental health treatment in 2022, compared with 56% of whites, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Factors include structural inequalities, lack of insurance, language barriers, and historical mistrust of the medical system.
APA Foundation’s Melvin Sabshin, M.D., Library and Archives recently launched “Líderes Audaces: Hispanic Pioneers in American Psychiatry,” an exhibit that highlights Hispanic leadership who have advocated for and advanced the mental health needs of the Latino community. Among other events “Líderes Audaces showcases the origins of the 1970 Task Force on Mental Health of Spanish-Speaking People in the United States, the Committee of Hispanic Psychiatrists, and the establishment of the Simón Bolívar Award in 1975 to raise awareness of the mental health goals and challenges of Hispanic and Latino individuals.
APA has also expanded its evidence-based Spanish resource website, LaSaludMental.org, which now offers information on 17 mental health conditions, including recently added sections on anxiety disorders, the connection between climate change and mental health, and Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. In the last two years, the site has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, reaching Hispanic and Latino communities as well as the mental health professionals who serve them. The updated resource now also features a Spanish-language version of the “What Is Psychiatry?” informational page, “¿Qué es la psiquiatría?”
For related information, see the Psychiatric News article “Disparities Remain Obstacles for SUD Treatment in Hispanic/Latinx Communities.”
(Image: Getty Images/iStock/SDI Productions)
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