Inaccessible Mental Health Care in the Latinx Community: Structures, Legislation, and Neoliberalism / Inaccesibilidad a la salud mental en la comunidad latinx: estructuras, legislaciones y neoliberalismo

Mental illness is an issue that impacts many individuals. However, access to mental health treatment and care remains elusive to certain populations in the United States. A disparity in utilization of professional mental health care services exists between Latinx communities and their white counterparts. This lack of utilization of mental health care services by Latinx communities is truly a lack of accessibility, that has developed as a result of a societal divestment from these communities. In consequence, this society-wide divestment forces these individuals with mental illness to seek treatment in unconventional settings such as emergency rooms, homeless shelters, and prisons. This work explores the structural and legislative barriers to accessible mental health care in Latinx communities in the context of neoliberalism and a history of devaluation of these populations in the United States