ABSTRACT
Suicide is a global phenomenon in which thousands of individuals die daily. In the U.S., these potentially preventable deaths include 3,000 people of color (Leong, Leach, Yeh, & Chou, 2007). Since suicide is often misclassified (cf. Rockett, Samora, & Cobin, 2006), we suggest that the necessity of suicide prevention for people of color is even more urgent than is currently reflected in the scientific literature. The associated burden of suicide involves billions of dollars in medical costs and the profound emotional distress of family and friends (U.S. Public Health Service, 2001). A model of suicide that delineates the unique needs of underrepresented groups such as American Indian, African American, Asian American, and Latinos enlightens suicide prevention efforts for these and other ethnic minority groups in the U.S. The unwavering reality is that people of color are often on the receiving end of marginal health services in the U.S. and worldwide. Suicide prevention efforts must keep the pace of an increasingly diverse world in which non-majority adults and youth demonstrate ever more needs for culturally relevant interventions.
