Racism and mental health in indigenous youth living in the Metropolitan Area of Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

Indigenous populations show high prevalence rates of mental disorders and limited access to mental health services. The aim of this study was to analyze the mental health care trajectories of indigenous youth living in the Metropolitan Area of Oaxaca, Mexico. Between May and August 2023, we conducted a qualitative study involving non-participant observation, in-depth interviews with seven indigenous youth, and semi-structured interviews with nine health professionals, healers, or leaders of mutual support groups. We identified processes, not exempt of tensions, in how these young people perceive themselves as both young and indigenous, in the development of their mental disorders, and in the ways they seek treatment. Their care involved the use of psychological and psychiatric services, mutual support groups, and, to a limited extent, traditional medicine. This study concludes that these dynamics are interwoven and amplified by interpersonal, institutional and epistemic racism, which must be dismantled to improve the mental health of indigenous youth.