Suicide and Black Americans

For more than a century, scientists have studied the suicide rates among people of different demographic and ethnic groups. Age, sex, and race all appear to be important variables. The risk of suicide increases with age - it is low among children and highest among elderly people. Whites commit suicide more often than African-Americans. Men are more likely than women to kill themselves, although more women attempt suicide.
A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association focused on recent trends among black Americans in the U.S. The study surveyed more than 5,000 black Americans - 3,500 African-Americans and 1,600 blacks of Caribbean origin. The data included the age of first suicidal ideation, and rates of suicide planning and suicide attempts. Overall, there has been an increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviors compared with surveys from the 1980s.
The researchers reported that 11.7 percent of these black Americans had suicidal ideations and 4.1 percent had made suicide attempts. These behaviors began most often in the late teen years and early 20s. Actual suicide planning occurred most often within the first year of the initial suicidal ideation.
Factors that increased the risk of suicidality - having suicidal thoughts or planning or attempting suicide - in this group included having a mental illness and a low education level. Blacks of Caribbean origin had higher rates than African-Americans.
An important finding of this study was that many of the suicidal black Americans never sought treatment for their emotional problems.
The key message is that mental health centers - and suicide prevention programs in particular - can now target people at high risk of suicide among late teen and early adult black Americans. Identifying and treating psychiatric disorders should definitely reduce suicidality. Of course, addressing societal stressors like poverty and unemployment should also have a positive influence in reducing suicides.