Trapped between worlds

         14 percent of Latina teens attempt suicide according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey. Dr. Luis Zayas, a psychologist at Washington University says the typical Latina teen who attempts suicide is 14 or 15, the daughter of immigrant parents, low-income and in conflict with her mother over Latino and American cultures. Zayas says the girls' parents have strict traditional Latino values, while teens who grow up in America learn "very different models about what girls should do, and can do. That's the culture that's here, teenagers have certain freedoms. They don't need to consult with their parents to make certain decisions. Inserted in that is the Latino family that says the family is much more important than the individual."
        For five years, Zayas has studied more than 200 Latina teenagers. More than half of those studied have attempted suicide, including Francisca Abreu. When she was 12, she wanted to kill herself. Francisca's mother, Isabel left the Dominican Republic to find work in the U.S. She left her three children behind. Francisca, was devastated. Four years later, Isabel went back to get Francisca and her brothers. But Francisca says life with her mother in the U.S. wasn't what she thought it would be. Her mother worked three jobs, and Francisca didn’t see her much. As she spent time with her new American friends, there were problems between Francisca and her mother. When her mother wasn't at work, they were fighting.
         Francisca says her mother wanted her to stay home, learn how to cook and clean the house. She says she wasn't allowed to hang out with her friends. Her mother complained about her friends, “They like to flirt. They like hanging out. They like to stay out late. These are not the friends I like for my kids." Mother and daughter were trapped between two worlds. "Francisca would throw things, stomp her feet,” Isabel explained. “When she got home, all she wanted to do was sleep. She didn't talk and was rude to her brothers and me. Maybe I wasn't very understanding with her. I don't know."          Francisca wanted to escape the pain. "I was tired of being another burden in my mom's life," Francisca says. But the pain didn't go away. A teacher found a note she wrote and she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for three days.
         Today with the help of therapy, Francisca is learning to manage her depression. She spoke about her experiences growing up Latina at a public celebration. "I came to this country not knowing the language, the people or how it is here," Francisca told them. "But at the end of the day, my mom was my biggest support."Francisca says she now understands her mother. Isabel agrees "At least now she knows I tried to do the best I could. Times change. My times are different from hers, and I have to understand that."

-By Courtney Yager, CNN