Judith Bustos is familiar with the stigma among Latinos associated with seeking help for a mental illness. She's lived through it and triumphed.

The Mexico native remembers struggling with mental illness when she was young but being told by her mother that she had done something wrong and should go to church for confession to feel better.

It didn't work. Bustos, 45, self-medicated for years with alcohol until finally getting proper treatment a few years ago.

"It took me 19 years to recover. It's been a bumpy road. My dedication now is to educate because when you don't know about your illness it's very difficult to live with it," said Bustos, who receives treatment for bipolar disorder. She runs a support group and does outreach at the South Bay Guidance Wellness & Recovery Center on Third Avenue in Chula Vista, which is part of Community Research Foundation.

Bustos is also a spokesperson for the county's successful fotonovela campaign that is helping educate Latinos about mental illness.

"What a great tool to inform," she said.

The county-produced fotonovela -- about a Latino family addressing mental illness -- is a hit in the San Diego region.

The first 40,000 copies that the county distributed in November disappeared in a hurry.

The county Health and Human Services agency has ordered 70,000 more copies, which it plans to distribute this month at 90 locations -- including libraries, clinics, family resource centers, schools and six Northgate markets.

"We are reaching the people we want to reach, in their natural settings, which is why it has become so popular," said Dr. Piedad Garcia, director of the county's adult mental health services.

The fotonovela campaign is part of a multi-year county effort to reach out to more Latinos in the region to raise awareness about mental health services. Latinos suffer from mental illness about the same rate as the rest of the population but are less likely to seek help, Garcia said.

The National Alliance for Hispanic Health estimates that 17.7 percent of Latinos will suffer from major depression in their lifetimes, according to information on the county Health and Human Services website. The county estimates about 159,000 Latinos in San Diego County will experience major depression but only one in 11 will seek treatment from a mental health specialist. The fear of rejection and discrimination are some of the barriers that prevent many Latinos with a mental disorder from getting help.

"As a community we don't have a clear understanding of what mental illness is, particularly bipolar disorder, and depression and anxiety and many times with substance abuse along with it," Garcia said.

"This campaign focuses on reducing stigma, bias and taboos around accessing mental health services," Garcia said.

Fotonovelas , which are stories told through pictures and dialogue boxes, are popular with Mexicans on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

The fotonovela produced by the county is called "Moving Forward: How a Family Learns about Mental Health," and is bilingual.

The story centers around Maria Ester who suffers from depression but along with her husband, Luis, is reluctant to get help because of the fear that she will be thought of as crazy. Her mother-in –law intervenes, consults with the family priest, and persuades her son to encourage his wife to get help, which she does.

Garcia said Bustos is an ideal spokesperson for the booklets because she is someone who has been able to "manage and learn what they have and note that, whatever illness they have, it can be treated and that they can recover from it."

Bustos said she is glad to do whatever she can to raise awareness.

The mental health patients she has heard from said they like the booklet and praise the county's efforts to reach out to Latinos.

"The great thing about the fotonovela is the attempt to engage and encourage the population to seek mental health services," Bustos said. "The goal is to address the stigma."

More information about county mental health services call 1-800-479-3339.