18A - Create a Customer Avatar

My prototypical customer is anyone. Any race. Any gender or identity. Any age. Any socioeconomic status. The issue with mental health, anxiety and depression, PSTD, drug and alcohol abuse, addiction, suicide, bipolar disorder, is that it can affect anyone at any given time.

·         A 41-year-old, middle class Caucasian male going through a divorce

·         A 13-year-old, low income Hispanic/Latino female experiencing immigration issues

·         A 45-year-old, low income African American female grieving the loss of her child by police brutality

·         A 7-year-old, high-income African American male dealing with the loss of his brother by robbery; RIP XXXtentacion.

·         A 19-year-old, middle income Caucasian female raped at a frat party

·         A 77-year-old, middle class male suffering from depression while in hospice

·         A 15-year-old, low-income Hispanic/Latino male suffering from ADHD and bipolar disorder

I can relate to my prototypical customer because I have experienced a lot of different things in my lifetime that have caused me to feel depressed and/or anxious. My mother is a low-income, single parent, and struggles with a language barrier; Hispanic/Latino. We experienced a lot of domestic violence growing up, and my siblings and I were temporarily placed in foster care. One of my brothers suffers from anxiety and depression due to his disability. I understand how important it is to have someone to speak to or turn to in times of need. Also, I understand what its like to need help and not have the funds to seek it. As far as coincidence, I don’t believe it is. There are many people that suffer different battles around the globe. A few are fortunate to not have experienced struggle, but that doesn’t mean they’ll never suffer mental anguish. As I mentioned before, none of us are free of mental health issues; minor or chronic.