Processes over Promises: Saving Latinas from Suicide by Addressing Mental Illness on Campus

Photo by Chad Madden

Compared to their white and Black counterparts, Latinas experience higher rates of depression and suicide (which has been contested). There is evidence that these experiences of depression and anxiety and attempts at suicide carry over into the college years. Interestingly, the statistics for Latinas attending college who experience mental illness and attempt depression are disproportionately low…perhaps due to the fact that Latinas represent the lowest proportion of college students in the United States (which we will cover later this month). The simple fact is that Latinas are either becoming depressed at higher rates or it is becoming more socially acceptable for them to share these experiences with family members and ultimately physicians. Either way, colleges and universities are unprepared to serve these nuanced needs of these women. The promise of education for Latinas is compromised by the lack of processes on campuses to support them through experiences of mental illness. This article highlights a three-step process colleges and universities can use to prepare their mental health service network to better serve Latinas navigating college with mental illness and ultimately create a network of supports that can be adapted to any students on your campus.