Embracing My Heritage & Navigating Mental Health

As a Latina, I have never felt embarrassed or wished to be anything other than a girl born in Colombia. I carry my heritage with pride. I love our food, our passion, our music, the lively vibe that pulses through our culture, and most importantly, our deep-rooted dedication to family and community.

But growing up Latina has also shaped how I viewed mental health—

For as long as I can remember, I’ve dealt with anxiety. I believe it started around the age of six, beginning with separation anxiety. But like many immigrant families, my experience with mental health was overshadowed by bigger, more immediate challenges. When we migrated to the United States, everything changed. A new country, a new school, a new language—our family’s focus had to shift to survival and adaptation.

My parents worked hard to help us acculturate to our new life. Their priority was to meet our basic needs: a roof over our heads, food on the table, and access to education. Understandably, there wasn’t much space left to talk about emotional or mental well-being. It just wasn’t part of the conversation.

And this isn’t just my story—it’s a shared experience for many Latinos. In our culture, mental health is often seen as something we push through or pray about, not something we seek professional help for. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), only 35.1% of Hispanic/Latinx adults with mental illness receive treatment each year, compared to the U.S. average of 46.2%.

Poverty and Lack of Health Insurance Coverage

Another major factor is poverty. Around 17.0% of Hispanic/Latinx people in the U.S. live in poverty, compared to 8.2% of non-Hispanic whites. People living in poverty face a higher risk of mental illness—and on the flip side, mental illness can make it harder to escape poverty.

When you're in survival mode, mental health often becomes a luxury you feel you can’t afford to prioritize.

Access to healthcare is another huge barrier. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, in 2019, 20.0% of non-elderly Hispanic individuals in the U.S. had no health insurance. Without coverage, finding a therapist or counselor—especially one who speaks Spanish or understands Latino culture—becomes nearly impossible. Even those with insurance often face long waitlists, high out-of-pocket costs, or a limited pool of culturally competent providers.

Lack of Cultural Competence in Mental Health Care

And even when Hispanic/Latinx individuals do seek professional help, they often encounter providers who don’t understand their culture. Mental health symptoms don’t always look the same across cultures. For instance, many Latinos may describe their mental distress in physical terms: “nervios,” fatigue, headaches, or stomach issues. These are real symptoms—but a provider unfamiliar with Latino cultural expressions may overlook the underlying depression or anxiety.

Without cultural competence, misdiagnosis is far too common, leading to ineffective treatment or further mistrust in the healthcare system.

I am still proud—prouder than ever—of where I come from. My culture has given me so much: resilience, warmth, joy, and deep family bonds. But I also believe we need to evolve how we think about mental health. Our community deserves healing, just as much as we deserve success.

So, to my fellow Latinas and Latinos: Your mental health matters. You matter. Let’s keep celebrating our culture—and also start creating space for growth, healing, and open conversations.