The silent crisis: suicide among our youths

Nerissa Roxas/Print Editor/Ka Leo O Hawaiʻi. Images from Outclub via cosmos.so. This article was originally published in Ka Leo's October 2026 print issue.As the mental health crisis receives more attention, addressing struggles in diverse communities may require culturally-relevant approaches. A study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association Network (JAMA) in 2024 found suicide — for the fourth consecutive year — to be the leading cause of death amongst Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander adolescents.Researchers have tracked a rise in suicide rates within the demographics since 1999, with a definitive upward trend beginning in 2014.Talia Henohea’oeiku’umaka Mossman, who earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, is currently working as a medical receptionist at Beyond Mental Health.

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