[Jutta K.]

Much has been published about people moving cross-culturally around the globe and what an exhilarating and sometimes difficult experience that is. Seldom is suicide discussed. My question: If you are a person who has been raised between cultures, or if you are a migrant now: Have you considered suicide or had suicidal thoughts and tendencies in the past, and if so, when and where, and what age were you when they occurred? It’s time we started to talk about these difficult moments.

User Detail :  

Name : Jutta K., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : Siegerswoude, State : N/, Country : The Netherlands, Occupation : Psychotherapist, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[R23955]

Definitely have not considered any such thing. But as a person raised and educated in the U.S. but with deep family roots elsewhere, I have felt a vague sense of rootlessness at times. I’ve had a successful career here in the U.S., raised a family here, and in almost every way feel thoroughly ‘American,’ but at times feel tugs from ‘the old country’ even though, as a young man, I felt a very definite sense of culture shock and the knowledge that I could never fit in when trying to live ‘back there’ for short periods of time. Another issue that afflicts some of us–particularly when our roots may be in developing countries–is a vague sense of guilt as a professional person for not having stayed to help the country of origin in the developing process. At any rate, I’ve never regretted having ‘made the jump.’ It’s just a vague and occasional and probably purely emotional (irrational?) sense of not quite belonging in either place. I imagine this is a very common thread among the millions of us who have migrated to this country. However, I agree with you that it’s been a silent issue, and that those of us sensitive to it would benefit from an open discussion.

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Name : R23955, Gender : M, Race : White/Hispanic, Age : 69, City : Norwalk, State : CT, Country : United States, Occupation : Retired, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

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