The Struggle of our Youth of Color

It is a running joke that kids in Mexican households are raised with a particular type of love. “Tough love”, as it is not commonly known, includes turning your biggest insecurity into your nickname (e.g. “flaca” or “gorda”). This “tough love” can be detrimental to people, especially to those with mental health issues. Not just for Mexicans, but for all people of color, our parents and older generations don’t realize the impact of their words on our daily lives, or they fail to see the importance of helping the younger family members maintain a stable mental health.

Parents raising first generation children in America usually did not grow up in a country that prioritized mental health. Mental health policies are only present in 59.5% of the countries in the world, treatment facilities are only in about 65% of countries, and the three most common drugs

used to treat mental health disorders are only available in about 20% of countries.

When we speak of culture, we immediately think of the beauty in our unique languages and diversity in food and clothing. While culture is beautiful and should be celebrated, let’s also consider culture as a mental health struggle for people of color. Religion, your role in your family, your social identity and much more is impacted by your culture. Sexism, racism, homophobia, and transphobia are often always excused with the notion that it goes against traditional and cultural values. Systems of oppression are often embedded in traditional values towards women and members of the LGBTQ + community. The effect of having to hide who you are for fear of judgement on one’s mental health goes without saying.

At the end of the day, we’re all a product of the culture we grew up in. Oftentimes, those saying hurtful words to you are only doing so because they’ve been used against them before. However, you should never have to accept an environment that is detrimental to your mental health because “that’s just how it is” and it is “disrespectful” to speak up about it. While brainstorming for this article, I felt the need to reach out to my peers and get their perspective on this subject. I was nervous to do so and did not expect much. However, the response I got was overwhelming. So many were so quick to jump on the opportunity to speak on this topic, even relating many personal experiences they’ve had. Personal experiences such as family making comments on their eating habits or sexualities and feeling pressured to fit traditional gender roles.

I made sure to get feedback regarding how they handle situations in which they can’t seem to get their parents to understand their struggle with their mental health. There were mentions of parents having an absurd belief that one can just “think differently” and solve everything or that they simply do not believe in disorders such as anxiety or depression. Others mentioned their parents immediately becoming defensive as soon as they try to bring up things they do that they find hurtful and immediately take it as being called a bad parent.

I cannot express enough how EXTREMELY important it is for one to not give up while seeking help for their mental health. Yes, parents can be difficult to speak to. Yes, the situation sometimes feels impossible. However, your mental health is of utmost importance.

Coping in a situation that is detrimental to your mental health and you feel like there is no escape is extremely difficult. Many mentioned talking to friends or listening to music in order to cope. However, a lot admitted that they bottle everything in and feel so compressed by their thoughts. So many people don’t realize that the experiences and feelings they have are shared by so many others. That is one of the biggest things I have taken from writing this. We all struggle. Finding a community that you can truly relate to and feel comfortable sharing in can do wonders for one’s mental health. This is why it is so important to start conversations like these.

To parents or any person that has a direct impact on our youth’s lives, these conversations are also for you. You can be the change. Talk to the youth, don’t shut them down. Believe them when they have the courage to talk to you. Don’t call them sensitive. Don’t turn the conversation around and make them feel guilty for bringing it up. Listen to know how you can be a better advocate for their mental health.

To anyone out there struggling in an environment and trying to open up conversations like this with their families, remember that your healing is not meant to make you more tolerant to emotional abuse. Don’t ever conform to a toxic environment.

WORKS CITED

Saraceno, B., & Saxena, S. (2002, February 1). Mental health resources in the world: Results from Project Atlas of the WHO. Retrieved April 18, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1489823/