MIAMI, Florida – October 1, 2013 – (HISPANICIZE WIRE) – Nunca Alone (Never Alone) — a team uniting Latino influencers in social media, blogging and marketing — will participate in the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) Walks being held in Broward County, Florida on Saturday, November 9, 2013. Led by Cuban-American blogger Sonia Guerra — aka Bohemian Babushka — the group aspires to be the largest gathering of Latinos to help benefit this grassroots, non-profit organization while creating awareness about social stigmas and mental health in Latino culture. Guerra experienced the direct effects of this stigma in her own family and wants to spread the word to help Latinos, women and other communities that shy away from mental health care.
«Because of the stigma associated with mental illness, most Latinos don’t ask for help, and wouldn’t know where to go for help once the need is obvious»
According to NAMI’s Latino Community Mental Health Fact Sheet: «Women and Latinos are more likely to experience a major depressive episode. Latinos have been identified as a high risk group for depression, anxiety and substance abuse.» Ironically, in many cases the substance abuse is caused by not seeking psychiatric help and trying to self-medicate. Also stated in the fact sheet, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Youth Risk Survey found a 10.7 percent attempted suicide rate among Latino youth, compared with a 7.3 percent rate among African-American youth and a 6.3 percent rate for White, non-Latino youth.”
Because of the stigma associated with mental illness, most Latinos don’t ask for help, and wouldn’t know where to go for help once the need is obvious. Education regarding health, local resources and acceptance of treatment — all are pivotal in the fight to help prevent future suicides among Latinos afflicted with mental illness.
Guerra is also organizing a national series of events every July, starting in 2014, to highlight National Minority Mental Illness Awareness Month,
Direct Link to NAMI Walks, Broward
https://securewalks.nami.org/registrant/LoginRegister.aspx?eventid=109750&langpref=en-CA&referrer=http%3a%2f%2fnamiwalks.org%2f
Location: Tradewinds Park, 3600 W Sample Rd, Coconut Creek, FL 33066
Date: November 9, 2013
Distance: 5K
Check-in: 8:00 AM
Start Time: 9:00 AM
More information about National Minority Mental Illness Awareness Month:
http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Multicultural_Support1/History_and_Highlights_National_Minority_Mental_Health_Awareness_Month.htm
Guerra is available for interviews for the #StopTheStigma Campaign.