One clinic tracks the heavy toll Trump's immigration crackdown takes on mental health

"“When we look at our data during periods of intensified enforcement, our screening data showed a clear rise in distress,” says Sophia Pages, a licensed marriage and family therapist and executive director of behavioral health at Zocalo Health, a primary care clinic in Los Angeles that mainly serves Latino families on Medicaid. “Immigration enforcement is functioning as a real time public health stressor in the communities that we serve.”"

"“More than half of the patients we screened had anxiety that was severe enough to interfere with their daily life, and nearly three quarters were experiencing depression,” says Pages. And nearly 1 in 8 individuals struggled with thoughts of suicide, Zocalo found. That is more than double the rate of suicidal ideation in the general population."

"“What seemed to sit underneath it for many patients was this profound sense of helplessness,” Pages says, because no matter how careful they were, by changing their routines, or staying home more, they felt like they can't protect themselves or their families. “And that loss of control was deeply destabilizing and can intensify depression, trauma-related distress and suicidal thinking.”"

Researchers and health care workers report a mental health crisis in immigrant communities as immigration enforcement continues into its second year. Data from a Los Angeles primary care clinic serving Latino families on Medicaid shows increased anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation during periods of intensified enforcement. Standardized screenings at the clinic found that more than half of screened patients had severe anxiety interfering with daily life, and nearly three quarters experienced depression. Nearly one in eight patients reported thoughts of suicide, more than double the general population rate. Clinicians attribute the pattern to helplessness and loss of control, as patients felt unable to protect themselves or their families despite changing routines or staying home. The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by texting or calling 988.

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