Latino Culture and ADHD Treatment

Source:

ADHD is found in all communities. For Latinos, cultural norms and barriers to healthcare affect the perception of ADHD symptoms in children, which may go unnoticed or undiagnosed. What are some of the cultural barriers to ADHD treatment? How can cultural beliefs affect treatment for ADHD? Dr. Lauren Haack will discuss common symptoms of ADHD and its presence in the Latino population. In addition, she gives insight into important cultural considerations professionals need to be aware of when treating Latinos with ADHD. She will also discuss how gender roles and family values may influence decisions about treatment options.
 
Lauren Haack, PhD, is an assistant professor and attending psychologist in the department of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research program and clinical practice focus on accessible and culturally attuned evidence-based services for vulnerable youth and families, with a particular specialty in ADHD services for children in Spanish-speaking, Latinx families.

[nicolasmoreno]

Exactly. In my culture, if a child has hyperactive ADD, he/she is just called "restless", "mobile"...etc and not given any special attention until he/she eventually starts developing issues in school or college, then he/she's usually negatively reinforced and blamed for being unable to do well academically. And because family cohesion is more important than individual achievement, then you are forced to enter the blue collar work market to provide, thus never progressing to upper echelons of salary and career, often starting a new family themselves, and further propagating the vicious cycle again.

[grandselenium]

100 % agree. Same thing for pretty much most other ethnicities/races compared to white americans.