The Struggles of Latino Mental Health and Belonging

Across the United States, Latino communities are living under a form of psychological warfare. Every day, we are inundated with images and stories of Brown people being stopped, questioned, and detained by ICE—often without regard to their citizenship or immigration status. We have witnessed U.S. citizens harassed, wrongfully detained, and placed under surveillance simply for being Latino.

To explore the deep emotional and mental health impacts of this reality, we invited Fernanda, our resident Latina bilingual/bicultural blogger, to share her perspective. Through the lens of public health awareness, Fernanda reflects on how these daily threats and acts of injustice affect our collective well-being and our sense of belonging. Latino Mental Health is important for the future of our entire community because it impacts our tourism workforce, dairy production, restaurant and bar industry, and schools.

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Today, more people than ever live in a country other than the one where they were born. And I think that’s beautiful. I think that’s complex—and complete.

We are not half of one thing and half of another. We are full. Whole.

Showing support

talking about Mental Health

Breaking the isolation of Latinas Living in the Midwest

I’m not only Peruvian—I’m also a Midwesterner. I’m a lover of Mexican telenovelas, the kind I grew up watching with my mom and still re-watch when I need comfort. 

I’m a registered nurse trained in the American healthcare system, and I’ve witnessed both its strengths and its many shortcomings—especially when it comes to serving our Latino communities.

We know this story: Latinos face longstanding barriers to accessing healthcare. It’s a tale as old as time. And when it comes to mental health, the barriers multiply.

Here’s how it usually works: to start medication for anxiety or depression, most people need a formal diagnosis, which typically requires a visit to a psychiatrist—a specialist you can only see after getting a referral from your primary care doctor. That’s already two appointments, two sets of paperwork, and probably weeks of waiting.

Sometimes mental health counseling is more accessible through primary care clinics. These services focus on practical tools—coping skills, stress management, and building emotional awareness. That’s great, but it may not be enough for some.

There’s also mistrust—deep, cultural mistrust. Many of us don’t recognize the names of the medications being prescribed. We don’t understand how they work because no one explained it to us.

And let’s be honest: we’re skeptical for a reason.

Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications are long-acting. They take 4 to 6 weeks to build up in your system before you feel a shift. Sometimes the first medication doesn’t work, but insurance companies require you to “fail” with older, cheaper meds before approving newer, more effective ones—unless you have excellent insurance, which many immigrants do not.

In addition, immigrants also carry something else—trauma. It is painful to leave home, and it is painful to remain here, especially in a country where we are constantly reminded we don’t belong.

There’s a Spanish saying that goes, “Al mal tiempo, buena cara.” In hard times, put on a brave face. But sometimes that brave face becomes a mask we can’t take off. We need to speak. We need to express. We need to desahogarnos.

*** Disclaimer:

Our blog posts are protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution as expressions of free speech. They are shared as ethnographic reflections rooted in lived experience and community knowledge. These writings are not intended as political statements and do not represent the views or positions of our sponsors, employees, board members, partners, or supporters.