asian american women more at risk for suicidal behavior

Saw this on Disgrasian last week, and I wanted to share it too... According to new research from the University of Washington, U.S.-born Asian American women are particularly at risk for suicidal behavior: US-born Asian-American Women More Likely To Think About, Attempt Suicide, Study Finds.

The study shows 15.93 percent of U.S.-born Asian-American women have contemplated suicide in their lifetime, exceeding national estimates of 13.5 percent for all Americans. Lifetime estimates of suicide attempts also were higher among Asian American women than the general population, 6.29 percent vs. 4.6 percent. The new research also shows that:

• The percentage of Asian Americans who reported thinking about suicide increased the longer they lived in the U.S.
• Young Asian Americans, between 18 and 34, had the highest estimates of thinking about (11.9 percent), planning (4.38 percent) and attempting suicide (3.82 percent) of any age group
• Asian Americans who were never married reported the highest lifetime estimates of thinking about (17.9 percent) planning (7.6 percent) and attempting (5 percent) suicide.
• There were few major differences by ethnicity, although Chinese (10.9 percent) and Filipinos (9.76 percent) reported the highest rates of thinking about suicide.

We know that when it comes to the issue of suicide and mental health, the Asian American community is seriously underserved. Even talking about these matters -- forget about it. For a lot of people, it's still highly taboo. Do these statistics really come as a surprise? The cycle of silence is killing us.

Special props to Jen Wang for being so frank, honest and open about her own struggles with depression: "On the subject of mental health, I not only talk, I tend to ramble, because keeping silent and being ashamed of it, that's really the crazy thing." Amen to that.