<p>Collegebound91, I’m sorry to hear about your friend. That’s truly tragic.</p>
<p>Chris2k5, I understand what you’re saying about how depression and suicide affect people of all races, not just Asians. </p>
<p>I chose to post about Asian Americans for two reasons. First, I’m Asian American and felt more qualified to write about this experience, as opposed to writing about the experiences of students of all races–something so broad that I can’t presume to understand it. Second, I believed that despite the many differences among the various Asian cultures, there would be some commonalities when it came to certain issues, such as achievement and family dynamics. As the high school thread bears out, lots of students felt that the post was spot on when it came to describing many Asian-American families. </p>
<p>Second, the issue of depression and suicide in Asian and Asian-American students has been on the radar at many colleges in recent years. Cornell actually started a task force to better understand the campus experiences of students of Asian descent. Why? Because they make up only 14 percent of the total student body, but between 1996 and 2004, Asian and Asian-American students accounted for 55% of Cornell’s suicides. Out of 20 suicides, 11 involved students of Asian descent. That’s a strikingly disproportionate number and Cornell felt it was important to address this problem. </p>
<p>Also, just this past year, Cal Tech had two suicides. One involved a male student from Hong Kong, the other, a biracial Asian-American student. </p>
<p>So in my opinion, it’s not enough to say that depression and suicide happen in all races. We need to understand the cultural reasons that contribute to the problem–in Asian Americans and other groups as well. That said, I’m open to comments about the experiences of students of all ethnicities when it comes to depression and suicide.</p>