Minorities and Suicide

[abaici]

I found out on Friday that one of my students (who graduated last June) committed suicide. Aside from his love of heavy metal, he was a pretty good-natured, upbeat kid. He was always laughing and smiling (and bugging me~he was a bit of a pest). So, I was really surprised when my students told me last week. This makes him the 2nd person I know to commit suicide within the last year. Both were young, minorities, and male. So, I'm pretty disturbed.

Before, I heard the sad news, I became enraged during a conversation about the movie "Dancing in September" when a person I respect said that the movie was unrealistic because, "Black people don't do that." This form of thinking is so dangerous.

Ok, apparently something is going on. Or at least, because it has touched my life, I realize that this is a huge problem. My questions, are minority death by suicide increasing, or just gaining more attention? Where is the research on minorities and suicide? Why are minorities not being identified with mental health problems and receiving the proper medical attention? How can we alter the communities dangerous assumption that "Minorities do not commit suicide"?