Throughout September, National Suicide Prevention Month, mental health organizations, practitioners and advocates alike emphasize prioritizing mental wellness and seeking treatment to combat symptoms that lead to people wanting to take their own lives.
While suicide is a heavy topic for many, working to prevent it is critical, particularly in the African American community, as recent federal data reveals suicide among Black youth is increasing at alarming rates.
In April, Pew reported (according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), that the suicide rate among Black youth ages 10 to 19 surpassed that of their white peers for the first time ever in 2022. In fact, there was a 54% increase among Black youth since 2018, compared to a 17% decrease for white youth.
Young Washingtonians are also showing signs of mental health challenges at alarming rates.
According to a 2021 D.C. youth survey, 17% of high schoolers in the District have reported attempting to suicide, a statistic significantly greater than the national average of 7.4%.
Such alarming statistics have catapulted groups and organizations like the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to take action.
In April 2019, the CBC created the Emergency Task Force on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health, chaired by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.).
“Over the last several years, data has emerged indicating an alarming increase in the suicide rates for Black children and teenagers over the past generation. While research has also shown climbing rates for youth from other racial and ethnic groups, this trend in Black youth runs counter to historical data showing lower rates of suicide among Black Americans,” according to the task force’s report “Ring the Alarm: The Crisis of Black Youth Suicide in America.”
According to the CBC, one of the reasons for the rise in suicides among young African Americans is access to mental health care.
“Black adolescents are significantly less likely to receive care for depression — a major risk factor for suicide — with pervasive structural inequities, social determinants of health, stigma and mistrust of healthcare providers creating daunting barriers to treatment,” the report details.
For this reason, increasing access to mental health care in the Black community, overall, and particularly for young people, is critical to combating suicide among adolescents..
Removing barriers to mental health access in the Black community – from stigma to costs to transportation – can be a large step in preventing suicide and improving overall wellness for youth African Americans.
Parents, teachers and school counselors must make talking about mental health just as important as physical wellness. Emotional wellness should be just as prioritized as eating vegetables, getting physicals, learning, and advancing to the next grade.
Further, creating opportunities for mental health practitioners to engage with young people where they are can also be a step in the right direction. By ensuring that mental health practitioners are working with students, assessing their needs, and making treatment affordable – or free – helps to create a climate where emotional wellness is not only accessible, but a priority.
It takes a village – from the home, to school, to health care providers, legislators and speciality programs – to remind Black youth that their lives matter and that mental health is important to survive and thrive.
Let’s work together to prevent suicide in the Black community, especially among young people, and promote overall wellness.