Weeks after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando on June 12, where 96% of victims and most survivors were Hispanics, the issue of mental health has taken center stage as one of the most pressing community concerns.
“The perception amongst Hispanics is that people who need mental health services are ‘locos’ or insane,” states Denisse Lamas, a licensed clinical social worker, Executive Director of the Hispanic Family Counseling and Chair of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention of Central Florida.