Mental Illness: Barriers for Minorities
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Reported by: Evan Axelbank
Wednesday, May 14, 2008 @11:40am EDT
(GENEVA) - You couldn't tell from this picture, but 12-year-old Mindallia Aguilera wasn't always so happy. She was sexually abused by my her mom Mindy's ex-husband.
Mindy is remarried, and living with Mindallia, her 6-year-old son Cruz and 2-year-old Lilia. But they're still living with the ghost of her ex-husband. He passed his mental illness onto his children.
"I think that the hispanic community is seen as, they're just misbehaving, that's how they're seen," said Mindy.
Mindy blames a clash of cultures. Her ex- is from Mexico, and she said the abuse was the culmination of years of mental illness, mental illness that went untreated, at least by contemporary means.
"His family has said that he was put under a spell, and that's why he did what he did," said Mindy. "Usually people that are going through something like that will see what they call a healer."
That attitude toward mental health isn't unique to other countries. Even in the United States, minoiries often view mental illness as a behavioral problem that requires discipline, and not a medical problem that requires treatment.
Mindy understands that well. She works as a family advocate in the Geneva area. She was able to spot issues in her younger son, Cruz, early on.
"He started out with suicidal ideation - verbally saying that he wanted to kill himself," said Mindy. "That was kind of hard to believe, because he was only four at the time."
Mindy didn't just spot the problem; she made an effort to get treatment, taking him to mental health professionals, who eventually perscribed medication. Has that medication worked?
"Yes. He's reading, he's writing. His play is not extremely organized. It's not as disruptive and violent as it was before."
Mindy's advice to others?
"Talk to your children. Make them understand, mental illness is not their fault. But, as parents, they need to fight hard to get their children the medical care they need."
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