At first, it was scary, admits Joe Muñoz, 19, referring to his experience being admitted into the psychiatric hospital’s emergency room. “It was overcrowded. You feel you do not belong there. You see others who are much worse off than you, like drug addicts and crazy people.”
Having been born with partial facial paralysis and an outer ear deformity, called microtia, Muñoz, of Riverside, was bullied by his classmates in high school for being different. They would steal his hearing aids, call him names and make prank calls.
The bullying continued on social media, too. The psychological effects reached the point where he contemplated suicide. Once he put a knife to his throat right in front of his mother, threatening to kill himself.
Police were called, and an officer escorted Muñoz to the Riverside County psychiatric department’s emergency room.
Researchers have found that Latino youths, like Muñoz, face an array of factors that may increase their risk for mental illnesses. Stress can manifest itself through depression and anxiety, which can lead to substance abuse or even suicide.
Many do not seek treatment due to the stigma or fear of being labeled as crazy. Others do not have the means to access the appropriate services to adequately manage their mental health needs.
“Among the many obstacles that the Latino community faces, stigma is first, followed by distrust of government and religion,” said Alfredo Huerta, a Mexican immigrant with 18 years of experience as a clinical therapist for the Riverside University Health System’s Department of Behavioral Health.
In the case of immigrants such as himself, Huerta does not find it strange that they suffer from trauma. Leaving one’s country of origin and moving to a new nation is difficult.
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