Growing up in Philadelphia, Nancy Santiago lived in what she described as “tough circumstances, with an outrageous situation on my hands. And every time I went to ask for help, there was none.” Her drug-addicted father was abusive, while her grandmother ran a speakeasy to help support the family. When Santiago had problems, her evangelical relatives told her to “pray on it.
A lack of access impacts Latino, Black youth This initiative comes as mental health issues in the Latino community have drawn the concern of lawmakers and experts. Rising Latino suicide rates have worried community leaders, while Latinos lag other racial and ethnic groups in accessing mental health care. The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates than more than half of Latino young adults ages 18 to 25 with serious mental illness may not receive treatment.