Victor Arias found himself in a lonely place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the world shut down around him, Arias felt increasingly isolated from his community and struggled with his mental health. As a Latino man, however, Arias said that talking about emotions was something you just didn’t do.
“In our communities, therapy is still a bad word, and you can’t even talk to your own family members about some of these things. As a Latino man, I was told to work harder, to go get distracted with something else,” Arias said.
But Arias didn’t want to push his struggles away any longer. Instead, he turned to his trusted friend, Dan McSwain, asking him a simple question: “Do you ever feel like this?”
The two began speaking candidly about their struggles with mental health, and to Arias’ surprise, he started to feel better—and far less alone. Soon, Arias and McSwain realized they weren’t alone. Nearly 1 in 10 men experience depression or anxiety, but fewer than half will receive treatment, and more than 4 times as many men as women die by suicide every year, according to Anxiety and Depression Association of America, a mental health nonprofit.
Those disparities and the pair’s personal struggles drove them to launch mente, a mental health initiative focusing on Latino youth and breaking cultural stigmas.
The organization’s goal is to spark a broader conversation about the mental health of Latino men, remind them they aren’t alone, and encourage Latino youth to seek help and talk to one another.
Arias lives in Los Angeles and McSwain in Washington D.C., but since last year, mente has held events across the country for the betterment of young people’s mental health. One of those events, Mente en el Desierto, found its way to Phoenix on May 30.
In partnership with Somos Votantes, a Latino-led nonprofit, the organizations hosted a one-of-a-kind event at Luna Culture Lab in downtown Phoenix to address the stigma surrounding mental health among Latino men.
Upon entry, attendees received gift cards to either coffee shops or grocery stores, along with a yearlong subscription to the Calm app, which promotes positive mental health.
One of the pillars of the night was a two-hour comedy show featuring performances by host Luis Galilei and comedians Reece Muniz, Av Reyna, Eric Bernal, and Xazmin Garza.
Mente considers stand up comedy to be a form of group therapy, as well as affordable entertainment for attendees. In an effort to make mental health conversations more authentic, the comedians brought humor, heart, and cultural truth to the stage.
Attendees also had the chance to shop at a night market curated by Desierto Market, purchasing a range of different items such as jewelry, art, wellness items, and food.
Arias said the goal of the event was to provide a safe space for Latino men to be vulnerable and open about their struggles, something data suggests is sorely needed. One study by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that in 2023, Hispanic adults were 60% less likely to have received mental health treatment than non-Hispanic white adults.
“I was one of those statistics that during the pandemic, I really struggled with a lot of mental health issues. And frankly, at the time, I didn’t even know what was going on or what was wrong with me. And in that experience of trying to find the help that I needed, there were a lot of cultural barriers that I had to address,” said Arias.
It was the first event of its kind, but Arias is hoping to make the events more frequent.
Gavin Godinez, an attendee and Phoenix native, came to the event after seeing an advertisement on Instagram. Godinez has struggled with his mental health at times and said he’s encouraged to see activists creating spaces for young Latino men like himself to gather and talk about it.
“It’s just hard to say sometimes that you’re not okay because you’re told you always have to look like you’re okay. Mental health is something people really don’t take care of because they just kind of forget about it,” he said.
For Godinez, events like this are a reminder that it’s okay to take a step back and admit when you’re not okay.
If you missed the event, mente has more to come, including upcoming comedy shows in Los Angeles this summer. The team also plans to host additional events in Phoenix and encourages those interested to follow along on their social media for updates.
