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Exploring the Impact of Adoption on Mental Health: Insights from Adoptees

Why adoptees are more likely to attempt suicide  

Trigger Warning: Suicide, Suicidal ideation, Involuntary hospitalization

Adoptees are 4x more likely to commit suicide, in this episode we unpack why that is. Being an adoptee is a lifelong sentence, we have to cosplay as someone else’s child, we belong almost nowhere - and on top of all that, we invest emotional labor educating therapists about our mental health. 

Throughout the episode, we answer questions you’ve asked us on Twitter about adoptee mental health. 

 “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.” - James Baldwin

What we discussed 

(00:00) Content Warning

(00:47) Should the state fund adoptee therapy?

(02:21) Cosplaying as someone else’s child

(07:40) Why adoptees struggle with mental health

(11:31) Why holidays suck for us

(13:23) Does sharing our experiences help? 

(19:26) The anger inside of us

(24:07) Finding an adoptee-competent therapist OR Finding a therapist that understands adoption OR Finding a therapist you don’t have to teach

(29:10) What works (other than therapy)? 

(32:57) Societal gaslighting against adoptees

Links

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Learn more about Lia

Adoptee Therapists: https://growbeyondwords.com/adoptee-therapist-directory/ 

Credits

Special thanks to Samuel Oyedele for editing our podcast, support his work on Instagram or e-mail him at [email protected]