In this episode, we discuss a research paper titled "Please Forgive Me, Asian and Pacific Islander American Suicide Notes" by Y. Joel  Wong, Kuo Deng, and Yi Li published in 2021.

Please note: Today’s episode is related to suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

About 30% of Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) individuals leave suicide notes before taking their lives. What do these notes say, and what can we learn from these notes? We discuss the study’s findings, revealing that APIA females and youths are most likely to leave suicide notes. The notes often express psychological distress, feelings of burdening others, and feelings of not belonging somewhere. We discuss why interpersonal relationships can be a protective factor against suicidal ideation and encourage open dialogue and seeking professional help to strengthen strained relationships.

You can find the abstract here: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-86645-001