In Case You Haven't Heard…

Abstract

On Oct. 1, National Latino Physician Day, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) celebrated the contributions of its Hispanic and Latino membership, past and present, to the field of psychiatry. On Sept. 18, the APA Foundation's Melvin Sabshin, M.D., Library and Archives launched “Audaces Líderes: Hispanic Pioneers in American Psychiatry,” to highlight Hispanic leadership in advocating for the mental health needs of the Latino community. The exhibit showcases the origins of the 1970 Task Force on Mental Health of Spanish-Speaking People in the U.S., the Committee of Hispanic Psychiatrists, and the establishment of the Simón Bolívar Award in 1975 to raise awareness of the mental health goals and challenges of Hispanic and Latino individuals. Additionally, LaSaludMental.org, APA's evidence-based resource website in Spanish, has expanded from its initial offering of information on five of the most common mental disorders to 17 mental health conditions. Recent additions include anxiety disorders, the connection between climate change and mental health, Alzheimer's disease and dementia. In the last two years, the site has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, reaching the mental health professionals and Hispanic and Latino communities they were designed to serve. Just 40% of Latino adults with a mental illness received mental health treatment in 2022, compared to 56% of white adults, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.