The Surprising Killer of Young Black Boys – Suicide

It’s that one topic that’s misunderstood, swept under the rug and downright avoided but it’s happening every moment of the day – suicide. We like to think that it doesn’t happen to us but to other people, but we are those “other” people. Due to the stigma of suicide, we don’t want to admit that there’s a crisis in the black community, as well as American society as a whole. In fact, researchers found that the suicide rates among black boys have doubled since 1993.

The results were published in the journal, “JAMA Pediatrics,” which was based on data obtained from the CDC on the causes of death in 657 suicide cases among children aged 5-11. Between 1993 and 2012, 84% of the suicides were committed by boys.

For black boys in this age group, the rate increased from 1.78 to 3.47 per million. In contrast, the suicide rate among young white boys decreased from 1.96 to 1.31 per million. This is the first time that the suicide rates among black youth increased while the rates among white youth decreased during the same period.

Some reasons cited in the study include: “Black children may experience disproportionate exposure to violence and traumatic stress,” “Black youth are also less likely to seek help for depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts,” etc.

Check out the study at: (Click Here)