Overcoming mental-health stigmas in Latinx communities

Amezcua, Kaylan

English

Poet Commons (Whittier College)

Whittier College Poet Commons Journalism Student Scholarship & Research 5-9-2019 Art and Empathy Kaylan Amezcua Whittier College Follow this and additional works at: https://poetcommons.whittier.edu/journalism Recommended Citation Amezcua, Kaylan, "Art and Empathy" (2019). Journalism. 1. https://poetcommons.whittier.edu/journalism/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship & Research at Poet Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journalism by an authorized administrator of Poet Commons. For more information, please contact library@whittier.edu. POETINIS: DRINK IN THE TRUTHArt and EmpathyOvercoming mental-health stigmas in Latinx communities.Kaylan AmezcuaMay 8, 2019 · 7 min readhe pavement in front of us is a myriad of color, striped and swooping around intoa circular disk. As we step closer I can see that the disk taking up most of thespace is surrounded by a chameleon, which feels appropriately placed amongst thepresence of so much color.We’re at The Los Angeles Eco-Village, a place of inspiration for third year WoodburyUniversity student, Jackelyn “Jackie” Tejada.The Los Angeles Eco-Village is an“intentional community” located on Bimini Place and White House Place on the edge ofKoreatown and Rampart Village.If you are thinking, what could be so eco about the concrete jungle? that’s the point. The40 or so community members try to live environmentally conscious lifestyles, rightdown to caring for the soil and urban gardening, in the middle of one of the densesturban environments in the country.TStreet art at the Eco VillageUrban oasisJackie leads me across the street, past the chameleon and onto the steps of the largehouse surrounded by vegetation. Already I can see apples growing on a tree, saturatedorange poppies everywhere, a huge compost bin and vegetables growing in thisuntamed garden. The plants’ freedom reOects the artistic freedom that the members ofthe Eco Village have.“So members painted this street art?” I ask Jackie.“Most likely!” she replies. “They have hired local artists in the past but the communityhas been known to encourage their members to paint wherever they want.”Despite her cheeriness, Jackie seems slightly anxious. This is understandableconsidering I’ve dragged her out to talk about her major, her ethnic background, herbudding career and, oh yeah, her struggle with borderline Bipolar II Disorder.Biploar II is a spectrum bipolar disorder in which the elevated moods (“hypomania”)don’t reach full-blown mania, but the diagnosis is characterized by more frequent boutsof depression, often referred to as “manic depression.”Most of us are familiar with Bipolar disorders. In fact, some of our favorite celebritieshave opened up about dealing with it (Mariah Carey did just one year ago!) and it’sdepicted in a multitude of TV shows and [lms: think Silver Linings Playbook.Bipolar disorders a]ects millions of Americans. Perhaps you or one of your familymembers has it. But despite 82 percent of the U.S population knowing the disorder byname, only 64 percent are able to correctly de[ne it, according to the National Allianceon Mental Illness (NAMI). This naturally paves the way for misconceptions about thedisorder — leaving su]erers vulnerable to misunderstanding, judgment and feelingalienated.When we talk about mental illness, we’re really talking about brain health. Biologyplays a huge part in what makes all of us vulnerable to a diagnosable mental illness. Infact, NAMI reports that about 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience a diagnosable mental illnessin a given year.There are two types of bipolar disorder. Bipolar I is categorized by manic, hypomanicand major depressive episodes. Bipolar II is categorized by hypomania and majordepressive episodes without a full manic episode. Then, there is threshold bipolar.Figures vary, but the National Institue of Mental Health estimates that nearly threepercent of the U.S. adults had a bipolar disorder in the past year.While most of those battling bipolar return to full functionality between episodes,bipolar can impair work, cause unemployment and greatly increases the risk of suicideamong su]erers.. . .ackie and I have been casual friends since high school. We had classes together,went to prom together, ate lunch together, and graduated together. We kept ourmental health challenges secret from each other. We were su]ering through similarepisodes of major depression. We both felt alone and misunderstood. It wasn’t untilcollege that we began to open up more about it, and were shocked to discover weshared so many of the same feelings.Both of us are Latinx, and there’s a notorious pattern of silence regarding mental healthin our community. The familismo concept reOects the central role of the family in LatinxJculture, so much so that it a]ects whether or not U.S Latinx citizens with a need formental-health services seek it out or not.In fact, only one-third of adult Latinos in the U.S with a clinical need utilize mental-health services. Religion-based recovery services are the primary option used.Familismo culture colors both social perceptions and self-perceptions when it comes toseeking help and the community has a tough time encouraging others to do so. Latinxcollege students face fears about getting therapy based on familial ideas of mentalhealth — it isn’t considered a necessity.The [rst hurdle is recognizing that something is wrong. Jackie su]ered through adepressive and hypomanic period for eight months before anyone paid attention. ForJackie, her boyfriend (who also experiences mental-health issues) was the person tobring up concerns for her health. She then approached her Mom.“She didn’t think much of it”, Jackie recalls, despite a streak of depressive episodesdating to her adolescent years.A lack of parental acknowledgment is no surprise in the Latinx community when itcomes to “feelings”. It wasn’t till her older brother stood up for her that her parentscame around in support of Jackie getting help for her bipolar disorder.Thus, her recovery process began. She saw a physician who prescribed herantidepressants almost immediately only to [nd they only agitated the problem.Therapy became Jackie’s saving grace. The cost, though, was a hurdle. “It was eithertherapy or having zero money for anything else,” says Jackie.Indeed, ability to a]ord therapy is one of the main reasons people across cultures whodealing with mental-health issues don’t seek it out. Jackie was lucky that WoodburyUniversity had a great counseling center with licensed therapists ready to help. Withtheir help, she adopted better coping skills, learned about her disorder and how tohealthily communicate it.Since then, Jackie, who had been studying architecture, decided to explore otheroptions for her career. She discovered an alternative-housing in an urban-studies class.The class opened her up to what she really wanted to do with architecture.“ I shouldn’tjust be an architecture major, but take an opportunity to explore the di]erent uses forarchitecture,” she says.. . .hich brings us back to the LA Eco-Village. Discovering this community andeverything it o]ers for its members inspired Jackie. Her she found a buildingwith architectural character in a bustling urban environment. To Jackie, it representedto the rest of Los Angeles what can be done to support sustainability and alternativeliving.Since becoming inspired by the Eco-Village, Jackie has designed her own major toincorporate architecture and urban studies through an interdisciplinary studiesprogram at her school. But a de[ning feature of Jackie’s passion is her artistic nature.From satirical doodles to complex, research-based architectural constructions, andeverything in between, she can master representation and abstraction.“Pain shows in my work. I am a very artistic being and my emotions always bleed intowhatever medium or style I’m working in,” she says.Her personal and emotional su]ering fuels artistic output that helps engender empathyfor those su]ering in her community. A recent pro[le of Jackie by Woodbury’scommunications ofce says, “She has an almost boundless ambition to improve thelives of others.”WJackie, courtesy of Woodburn University.For example, Jackie has helped organize and volunteer in the Skid Row Women’sWellness retreat, is working with Devorah Brous, a master gardener and non-pro[torganizer, and she’s landed a job with Homeboy Industries, the LA-based organizationfounded by Father Gregory Boyle that specializes in rehabilitating former gangmembers and previously incarcerated men and women through a variety of therapeuticapproaches and job training.You don’t have to go to Woodbury to access the tools Jackie found at her disposal.Whittier College has a support system in place for students struggling with any mentalstress or aiiction. The Counseling Center is no joke and has counselors, nursepractitioners, and a licensed psychologist available to students. The director, Dr.Romberger, is a licensed psychologist herself. She has been with the college since 2009and feels she understands the challenges college students face pretty well.The counseling center report an overall increase in ethnic minority participation. TheLatinx population using the center’s services has increased from 27 percent to 31percent in the past couple of years. Dr. Romberger recognizes the difculty that peopleface when seeking health. “Mental health challenges are some of the greatestdisabilities worldwide,” she says. “Most people are hesitant to share and many areunwilling or unable to support or intervene.” She hopes that more students utilize allthat the counseling center has to o]er next year, speci[cally the “Let’s Talk” outreachprogram that provides walk-in mental health services.. . .inally, we have the Whittier Scholars Program (WSP) as an on-campus option fordesigning a major that’s right for you if it’s not o]ered by one of the departments.To be a Whittier Scholar, you have to present a well-devised plan and get it approved byan oversight committee. Many WSP majors are artists and even more have an artcomponent wrapped into their major.This is particularly relevant to me as an artist, a Latina woman, a student, and apsychiatric survivor. Latino households have traditionally lagged in encouragingchildren to seek help for mental and emotional issues. So, it’s up to us individually totake responsibility for ourselves and use what’s available to us. If you struggle withsimilar issues, they don’t need to de[ne your life. People like Jackie show us thatsuccess and achievement don’t need to be limited. We can use our struggles toempathize with the struggles others face. Artists can use their talents and combinethem with their vocational and academic skills to not only enrich themselves but theircommunity as well.Mental Health Counseling Latinx Whittier College Whittier Scholars ProgramF

Art and Empathy

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Art and Empathy

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