Suicide: How this is affecting youth in the African-American community

By: Roberta Sanders, BSN, LMSW
January 7, 2020 2:17pm PST

We understand that September is Suicide Prevention month, however given some alarming statistics we decided to focus on youth suicide in the African-American community. According to the American Association of Suicidology, they believe that we should focus on suicide prevention every day. That is especially true regarding youth in the African-American community. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service organization known as SAMHSA and The Journal Community Health, states the suicide rate for African-American girls age 13 to 19 nearly doubled and the rate for African-American boys rose 60% from 2001 to 2017.

These statistics speak to a public health crisis. One thing that we need to be aware of and understand that suicide is preventable. According to DeQuincy Levine PhD, a community suicide prevention expert and the recipient of the SAMHSA VOICE AWARD, he believes that we learn from crisis and we can utilize the suicide crisis in the African-American community to develop programs and to move to meaningful action.

There is no question that this is a crisis in the African-American community. What are the steps that we need to take as mental health professionals as we deal with this crisis? We are aware that September is suicide prevention month, however beginning now we have a great opportunity to plan for some active community events to increase the awareness of suicide in the African-American community.

The good news is that we already have a number of active programs that can assist with suicide prevention. Working with the community education systems, we can recommend that all teachers have an opportunity to complete the eight hour Mental Health Aid class that helps non mental health professionals, understand various mental health issues including depression and suicide. This training is also important for other community support services where Staff interact with adolescents and young adults on a regular basis.

Now you ask , what is it that you can do to get involved with suicide prevention?

Understanding the warning signs is a way to start. We know that four out of five teens who attempt suicide give clear warning signs:

  • Suicide threats
  • Signs of depression
  • Exhibiting anger and increased irritability
  • Sudden increase or decrease in appetite
  • Decrease in their academic performance
  • Preoccupation with death and suicide and previous suicide attempts are all warning signs

Along with these warning signs, we need to consider any risk factors that might impact this particular youth. Suicide does not typically have a sudden onset. There are a number of stressors that can contribute to anxiety and unhappiness,which can increase the possibility of a suicide attempt.

Some of these risk factors are:

  • Increased depression, mental illness and substance use
  • Difficult home environment including death , divorce or separation from a parent or significant family member
  • School environment where the youth feels teachers are not understanding of their issues and are not supporting them with their difficulties
  • A previous suicide attempts is a significant risk factor for all youth
  • A situational crisis where the youth has lost a significant relationship can increase the risk of suicide

As we understand more about these risk and warning signs regarding suicide awareness, it can help our programs to better assist in helping our African-American clients and the overall community increase their suicide awareness.

Suicide awareness is linked to suicide prevention as both addressed suicide education and the dissemination of that information to the broader community.

We have about eight months to begin to plan and identify specific educational activities that our organizations could host in September. You have a great opportunity on March 20, 2020 to hear firsthand from DeQuincy Levine, PhD a Community suicide prevention expert. He will be the keynote speaker for our continuing educational presentation regarding the African-American community. Go to our African American Training and Technical Assistance website to register for what will be an informative training and will offer us many insights as to how we can plan for meaningful programs in our organizations for suicide prevention month in September.

Suicide is preventable, with community awareness and education we could all have a role in decreasing the rate of suicide for African-American youth.