As a matter of fact, the report indicated that more than 11 percent of all Latino students and 15 percent of Latino girls said they had attempted suicide.  Latinos also reported much higher rates of using cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and methamphetamines, and were more careless about sex as well, using condoms at much lower rates than their white or black friends.

In the category of drug use, 1 in 8 Latino students said they had done cocaine, 1 in 10 had done ecstasy, 1 in 11 methamphetamines and 1 in 28 heroin.

Surveys went out to 9th-12th grade students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  All were granted parental permission before completing the questionnaire.  Surveys went to both private and public school students.

`We really don't understand this phenomenon as well as we should,'' said Dr. Glenn Flores of the Medical College of Wisconsin, who spoke at a CDC news conference.

But while some skeptics might doubt the accuracy of the report, the CDC notes that they did everything possible to insure the validity of the survey.  Officials took many steps to ensure accurate responses, said Howell Wechsler, the director of the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health.

“Participation was confidential, kids were spaced apart when answering the questions, teachers did not hover, and the questionnaire was designed so everyone would finish at about the same time no matter how risky or safe their behavior,” Wechsler said.

``We have every confidence if there's any lying going on, it's extremely negligible,'' he added.  The survey has been conducted every other year since 1991.