Telling a Story About Mental Health
/One in four Latino adults and one in five children in San Diego County are likely to experience major depression or another mental disorder on any given year; however, stigma, culture and language barriers keep many from seeking treatment.
A bilingual fotonovela—Salir Adelante: Cómo una familia aprende sobre la salud mental (Moving Forward: How a Family Learns About Mental Health)—was published by the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency to educate Latinos about mental health.
About 40,000 English and Spanish fotonovelas are available at 90 locations throughout the region, including County libraries, mental health centers, and family resource centers. The fotonovela will also be available at the six Northgate Markets throughout the county.
Fotonovelas are extremely popular among Latinos. A fotonovela is a booklet with pictures and dialogue boxes that often tell a dramatic story with a moral lesson.
People suffering from a mental illness can access services by calling the County’s 24-hour, multi-lingual Access and Crisis Line at (800) 479-3339.