As the mother of a Latina daughter who has lived with suicidal ideation and also as a provider of mental health services for Latinos, I denounce that there is currently a mental crisis that threatens Latina girls.
A year ago, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that “Emergency Department (ED) visits for suspected suicide attempts began to increase among adolescents in 12 to 17 years, especially girls. From 21 February to 21 March 2021, ED visits for suspected suicide attempt were 50,6% higher among girls from 12 to 12 years than during the same period in 2019”. According to the National Institutes of Health, “CDC surveys consistently show that Latina teens attempt suicide at much higher rates than African-American girls and/or non-Hispanic white girls.” The Department of Health and Human Services reports that teen Latina girls’ suicide rates are 30% higher than white girls. (source: https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=4&lvlid=30)
Back Of these statistics there are real families that are suffering a lot. As parents, it is sometimes difficult to understand why our children find themselves struggling with their emotions or feelings. We may be confused by their behavior, their anger, their pain, their sadness or the hopelessness they may feel. And sometimes we may not know what has caused it, or if we do know, we still cannot understand it.
Often when girls are suicidal or try to hurt themselves by cutting, for example, the cause is a traumatic event or ongoing traumatic experiences. Trauma occurs in our homes, schools, communities, and in society. The way our daughters may experience and process trauma can lead to emotional instability and conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, oppositional behavior, or substance and alcohol use. How we help them is crucial.
Intervention when they are young, in their high school years, gives us a greater opportunity to save lives and help them manage and overcome the impacts of trauma.
Yet every year, girls from mostly colored and black communities go unnoticed. Although crises require immediate action and the need for professional therapeutic support is enormous, waiting lists for services can be as long as a year or more. For a girl considering suicide or self-harm, a year can be a lifetime.
This is unacceptable.
We need quality services and programs in New York State that are free or affordable to help young women who want to harm or kill themselves. And we need services and programs for parents who are trying to help them, programs like Let’s Address Trauma Together or, if necessary, a safe and nurturing residential school so they can heal, grow and learn.
As New Yorkers, we pride ourselves on being leaders and innovators. We can and must rise to the occasion for our girls, investing in programs and services that meet their needs now, before another girl is harmed.
Stacey Millman is a founding member of the EverGreen Board of Directors Meadow Academy and mother of a daughter who has struggled with suicidal ideation. Parents interested in information on support groups may contact her at: info@evergreenmeadowacademy.org.2021 Sandra Harris is a Clinical Social Worker BA, Vice President of Government Affairs at Columbia Presbyterian and EverGreen Meadow Academy Board Member.