Undertaking Depression: Why are Minority individuals not being treated and helped?

A story of struggle, perseverance, shame, depression, and strength. A young man and his
family go through a hard existence that seems almost cursed. Struggling with depression and
self-worth problems they try their best to go through life, gaining what they want to be happy. As
immigrants from the Dominican Republic, they experienced hardships and poverty that made
their existence a struggle full of misguided attempts to find happiness outside their hard home
life. Oscar, the young man the story follows from his beginning to his end is an outcast,
overweight, large and not so much a good looking man who struggles with identifying himself.
Oscar believes he is cursed by his familys fuka, which causes all his troubles with depression,
bullying, and his lack of experience in life. The fuka is a curse that was brought over to the new
world when the Europeans came. Theyre destruction of the local culture and exploitation of the
native citizens of the land of Central America resulted in poverty and repression. With this hard
life, the local island people have become custom to the dictatorship that enacts ruthless policys
and could possibly be comparing the feeling of despair and struggle of this life to a curse like as
the fuka. But in this report, I would like to take a look at how fuka, could very well be expressing
the struggle with mental illness, the affliction from a hard world brought on from an ever
pressing unforgiving world, and the lack of sympathy and outside support given to those
suffering from it.
As it is obvious to anyone reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao that Oscar is
depressed, he has been since the beginning of adolescence. For all his mothers hard work to
provide necessities to her home, she does very little to support his mental health or stop his
decline into suicidal actions. This is also true for her actions with her daughter and other
relatives. She reacts in most cases with anger, and antipathy she doesnt like whats happening or
being stated and lashes out at the family. Therefore, because of this crude upbringing and tales of
minor characters hardships. I decided to ask myself this question early on in the book. Why
aren't these individuals being helped? Why do male and some female relatives mess with and
discourage Oscar, or worse ignore him and his anxieties? Why does the mother respond so
harshly to her daughter and even purposely ignore the traumatic attack that happens to her at a
young age? As I continued to read and had the tales of their mother and a few others I had my
answer. Fuka; Depression, ignorance, lack of importance in education, anger, displacement, and
a family history of mental illness, does not make a healthy environment to grow up or live in.
The world of an immigrant is not easy even when they have left their home country for a more
prosperous life in America does not always guarantee fortune, safety, acceptance, or happiness.
There is the abundance of non-essentials available compared to the Dominican Republic or
elsewhere, but there is still a social stigma against appearing weak and different. In my research I
learned of the most common challenges faced with non-native English speaking depressed
individuals is finding a doctor and therapist who can understand them. Its already a challenge to
admit to yourself and then your family that you feel mental ill. Its not likely that an immigrant
individual from a rural or under developed area to knows where to look for help. They wouldn't
even try in most cases, aside from those that are dreadfully ill and causing harm to themselves or
others. Most immigrants of color dont conceive that the feeling they are having is something the
need to see a doctor for, They come to look for work. They drink, smoke weed, because they
dont know what to do. They don't know where they have to go to fix their problem. Says one
immigrant of over ten years, Antonio in an interview on mental health in the Hispanic culture.
Escaping from life through coping means of drinking and drug abuse is very common way of
dealing with the pain of depression. It is because of the poverty and desire to hide personal
weakness among ones community that encourages these negative ways. When someone gos
untreated, not only is it worse for the individual but worse for everyone in the community. By
feeling frustrated people often displace their feeling and become withdrawn emotionally, this
will lead to lashing out at others when someone doesnt even know it or mean it at all.
To live with depression is horrible, but its worse when ones family, the people who
should support each other, aren't able to consider how children are feeling or deal with their own
depression.
Children of parents with depression are much more likely to develop depression in
themselves, and even more likely to if there is a history of depression in the family. There is a
lack of awareness among Latino immigrants says Doctor Susana Lessinge.r In families of other
cultures as well, Mary Margaret Dick, in When Treating Depression, Entire Family Called On
grew up with the same. She Struggled with depression from the same ages as the protagonist of
this story Oscar and had the same experience of lacking support from her home involvement. But
as she grew older and was seeking therapy she discovered she should look into her family's
history and discovered a very high rate of mental illness, depression even going back
generations. Some of her siblings even have since been diagnosed with depression. I now knew
that it was not a character issue, She says and feels relieved to feel like she wasn't the blame for
her confusion and sadness as she had been lead to believe from her family. Depression often
starts in adolescents or shows signs starting then. In the case of being a sufferer, depression feels
that its something they should be ashamed of though it is often implemented on them from their
culture and their direct family. Bridget Thompson a survivor of depression seeks support outside
of her community, I think its so unfair, she states to NPR host Ed Gordon in The Stigma of
Mental Illness in Communities of Color article and radio report. she struggles with an extreme
loneliness, and sense of worth. Never has she been able to go to anyone in the African-American
community about her own depression, except the church who also dismissed her mental illness.
Because of this and needing to hid her mothers suicide has helped motivate her to bring
awareness to her community. Support for mental health should come from those around you, that
starts by reaching out to help others and sharing your problems to those who are there for you.
Self-worth is often a reflection of society around you and how you are treated in
Education institutions, social circles, and at home. The best thing an adult who notices
depression in themselves and their family members to seek help for themselves first, to better
provide support for their children. For they may, because of their familys support net, have none
capable of providing the kind of calm and understanding guidance depressed adolescents need to
grow into happy adults. If you feel your self are alone, experiencing a lack of support speak out
to whoever you can. You are not weak for getting help, it is the strongest action you can do when
you feel you aren't worth enough. That strength you have to reach out to others, that is all you
need to make it to want to change and safe yourself.