Rising Latino suicide rates worry community leaders

The Hispanic suicide rate has risen significantly in the last decade, and mental health experts cite factors like poverty, language barriers and a lack of bilingual mental health professionals.

DALTON, Ga. ― A group from teens to seniors gathered in an office inside a grocery store, where Spanish-language food signs cater to the large Hispanic population in this northwestern Georgia city dominated by the carpet industry.

The conversation, moderated by community leader America Gruner, focused on mental health and suicide. The Tuesday night meetings draw about a dozen people, who sit on makeshift furniture and tell their often emotional stories. Gruner formed the support group in 2019 after three Latinos ages 17 to 22 died by suicide here over a two-week period.

“We couldn’t wait for research,” said Gruner, founder and president of the Coalición de Líderes Latinos. “We wanted to do something about it.”

The suicide rate for Hispanic people in the United States has increased significantly over the past decade. The trend has community leaders worried: Even elementary school-aged Hispanic children have tried to harm themselves or expressed suicidal thoughts.

Community leaders and mental health researchers say the pandemic hit young Hispanics especially hard. Immigrant children are often expected to take more responsibility when their parents don’t speak English ― even if they themselves aren’t fluent. Many live in poorer households with some or all family members without legal residency. And cultural barriers and language may prevent many from seeking care in a mental health system that already has spotty access to services.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/rising-latino-suicide-rates-worry-community-leaders-rcna134363

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