UI holds annual Latinx Heritage Month Keynote Address

How does mental health influence Latinx culture?

People wait for the keynote to start | David Thomas | Argonaut
People wait for the keynote to start | David Thomas | Argonaut

The University of Idaho and the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) delivered a keynote on Thursday, Sept. 30 titled “Destigmatizing Mental Health Matters in the Latinx Community.” This keynote attempted to break down the barriers surrounding mental health within Latinx communities by destigmatizing the conversation. Adriana Alejandre, a trauma therapist and mental health advocate, spent a portion of the presentation dissecting her own past experiences and how they universally apply to similar groups within the community.  

Founder of the Latinix Therapy Network, Alejandre spoke to UI students and community members regarding common struggles and  resulting barriers that Latinix individuals routinely face. Alejandre directly spoke upon issues to residents of Moscow, recognizing that these issues are still apparent across college towns throughout the United States. Alejandre touched on recurring mental health disparities – ultimately worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic – challenges latinix college students constantly confront, common negative affirmations, various relating statistics and definitions, and her own surreal experiences. 

The presentation began with an introduction from Denessy Rodriguez, the UI OMA clerical representative, who debriefed those in attendance with crash course facts regarding history and context of Latinx Heritage Month in the U.S. Rodriguez explained that after its recognition in 1968 by president Lyndon Banes Johnson, Ronald Raegan formally extended its allotted time to a full 30 days in 1988, settling on Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. 

 “(We) need to destigmatize Latinx mental health,” Rodriguez said, following her depiction of frequent cultural barriers within Latinx mental health care, disparities in language needs, and the need for culturally relevant mental health resources and providers. 

Alejandre enriched the presentation by deconstructing the reasoning behind the stigmatization of mental health among :atinix communities, drawing on experience-based evidence, Alejandre cited how individuals would be “deemed loco or loca” and that they’re “too fearful to speak on it” as a result. 

Following this, Alejandre introduced a general definition of mental health with the addition that the diagnosed individual “can cope with the normal stresses of life,” and “can work productively”. 

Alejandre then presented, via the CDC, how those ages 18 through 24 seriously consider suicide more than any other age group. In addition, one in 25 adults in the U.S. continue to live with a significant mental illness. According to Alejandre, one in 10 Latinix individuals seek mental health therapy while only one in 20 latinix receive treatment from professionals specializing in mental health. 

 “I thought it was normal to grow up and see violence,” Alejandre said. “(…) to wake up with an achy jaw from grinding my teeth.”  

She then announced a trigger warning for those in attendance sensitive to topics surrounding abortion. 

With the next slide titled “my own story”, Alejandre described her life at age 19. She was a UC Barbara freshman, pregnant, alone and fresh out of an abusive relationship. She described how her mother continuously urged her to follow through with an abortion procedure, but Alejandre said how she purposely waited to inform her mother about the pregnancy past the legal time limit for an abortion at the time. 

Alejandre detailed how her mother repeatedly took her to numerous black market abortion clinics in their area, only for them to turn Alejandre away. This is due to Alejandre’s undiagnosed dissociative disorder, as she kept dissociating prior to the potential procedures. 

“Mom was moving too fast to avoid pain,” Alejandre said after explaining the experience. “I went into a deep depression while dissociating, but was still high functioning.”  

The next slide in the presentation was titled “High Functioning”. 

“Continue to fulfill duties in your life,” Alejandre wrote, “while basically suffering with something internally…”. 

 She then defined “Dissociation”. 

“[Dissociation] is a defense mechanism that humans use when they’re experiencing something so horrific that our brains can’t conceptualize,” Alejandre wrote. 

Transitioning to a new topic, Alejandre initiated a finger snap exercise which commenced with her reading off a phrase and those in attendance snapping if they have ever heard or said it. The statements Alejandre recited consisted of anything varying from “crying is for the weak” to “all you need to do is pray and talk to God”.  

All of the phrases she said received conclusive snaps throughout the ballroom. 

Alejandre then began detailing how cultural factors such as being the oldest or being a first generation student perpetuate the normalization of survival mode. She then began to touch on common challenges Latinix college students face. 

Alejandre discussed how the lack of student body representation on campus remains the leading cause of various intrapersonal issues. A lower motivation to seek help, being less likely to belong or be able to relate, isolation as a direct result of a low cultural self-esteem, and how less spaces for BIPOC generally feels unwelcoming, as explained by Alejandre. 

“Then we add another layer,” Alejandre said as she switched slides relating to challenges ondocumented individuals face.  

Discrimination and fear from legal status was at the forefront of potential barriers but Alejandre paralleled a “duck-like anxiety” to that of a Latinx person. 

“On the inside is a whole [other] story,” Alejandre said :.Drawing similarities of a duck or swan swimming across a pond with grace yet underneath the water their feet are “moving super, super quickly”. 

Alejandre then continued with common negative affirmations that students as a whole, regardless of race, gender, sex, or orientation, hold on to that ultimately harm their mental health. Such examples include “I can take it”, “my work determines my value”, and “I am responsible for making my professor happy”. 

 All are unnecessary, though specifically inherent for Latinx students. Alejandre said that this belief derives from microaggressions and the idea that one’s personal value comes from overworking. 

 With “Discrimination + Shame = Stigma” postered on the second to last slide of the keynote presentation, Alejandre began to conclude the night with a simple phrase.  

“As a community, we share these barriers,” she said.  

She then went through a concluding list of points she had previously touched on including “cultural competence and language accessibility”, “fear from legal status”, and “privacy concerns”. 

Alejandre further described these as communal hurdles that herself and those she identifies with, the majority of who was present Thursday, constantly struggle to overcome. 

“Yes, I got full with clients,” Alejandre said, explaining her graduation from UCSB and Pepperdine, “but [that] just told me how much of a mental health crisis there was.” 

 Caden Young can be reached at [email protected]   

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