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“I’m no expert but a lot of them struggle to find a place to express themselves. They are still human and have emotions,” said Ms. Melendez, who works with a nonprofit in the District of Columbia that provides food for those in need. “They endure stresses such as their parents going through a divorce, moving or one of their parents being laid off. Their lives change. They’ve seen classmates shot, some sexually molested.”
“Adults are on social media too. Gone are the dinnertime conversations. The school counselor system deals more with getting you through school than catering to students’ particular needs or vulnerabilities,” she added.
“A lot of them have body image issues and pose on Instagram to get likes,” she explained. “Even if it’s not suicide, it’s the levels of aggressive behavior to test their invincibility. That is reflected in alcohol consumption, reckless sexual behavior and domestic violence. That type of behavior starts young, like 12 years old.”
And she scuttled one commonly held perception. “It’s really sad and Black people do commit suicide,” she said.
A 2015 study published in a report titled “Suicide Trends Among Elementary School–Aged Children in the United States From 1993 to 2012,” and published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics; found that the suicide rate among Black children has nearly doubled since the early 1990s, with a corresponding decline in the rate of suicides for White children.
During the period studied, researchers learned that the rate rose from 1.36 per one million children to 2.54. That figure was substantially above the rate among White children. During that period, the rate for White children fell from 1.14 per million to 0.77. Researchers said this is the first time a national study Found a higher suicide rate for Blacks than for Whites of any age group, researchers noted.
Researchers were surprised because “the overall suicide rate in school-aged children in the United States during 20 years of study had remained stable and caused those studying the issue to miss the significant increase in suicide incidence in Black children and a significant decrease in suicide incidence among White children.”
JAMA Pediatrics is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association. The CDC characterizes teen suicide as a growing health concern. It is the third-leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24, surpassed only by homicide and accidents, CDC experts say.
According to experts Michelle Moskos, Jennifer Achilles, and Doug Gray, causes of suicidal distress can be caused by psychological, environmental and social factors. Mental illness is the leading risk factor for suicide. Suicide risk-factors vary with age, gender, ethnic group, family dynamics and stressful life events. And according to a 2004 report distributed by the National Institute of Mental Health, research shows that risk factors for suicide include depression and other mental disorders, and substance-abuse disorders (often in combination with other mental disorders). More than 90 percent of people who die by suicide have these risk factors. The risk for suicide frequently occurs in combination with external circumstances that seem to overwhelm at-risk teens who are unable to cope with the challenges of adolescence because of predisposing vulnerabilities such as mental disorders. Examples of stressors are disciplinary problems, interpersonal losses, family violence, sexual orientation confusion, physical and sexual abuse and being the victim of bullying.
Suicide has been an issue in the Black community for some time, Dr. Summer Matheson wrote in an article entitled, “Black Teen Suicide: More Reality Than Myth,” in April of this year. Suicide is “blacker” than we care to admit, and we can only save our children by talking about it and taking action, she added.
National suicide prevention efforts have focused on school education programs, crisis center hotlines, screening programs that seek to identify at-risk adolescents, media guidelines (suicide prevention strategies that involve educating media professionals about the prevalence of copy-cat suicides among adolescents, in an effort to minimize the impact of news stories reporting suicide) and efforts to limit firearm access. Physicians and other experts say screening programs have proven to be helpful because research has shown that suicidal people show signs of depression or emotional distress. Referrals can be made for treatment, and effective treatment can be employed when signs are observed in time. In addition, intervention efforts for at-risk youth can put them in contact with mental health services that can save their lives.
“Often, we have no real appropriate role models. People who oftentimes are supposed to love their children are abusing and mistreating them,” said Dr. Newton, who has her practice in Baltimore. “Our children are confused because the adults of their lives are confused. When you don’t know where you come from, you act out according to the environment you live in,” she said.
“Young people are acting out. They have anger and rage and nowhere to go. These feelings are manifested inside and outside. Then add the overlay of racism and violence in our homes. In this case, one and one makes 10. We need community health and therapy. I’m not talking about the European either. I’m talking about young people coming into a spiritual process where they learn about who you are, how you validate yourself and not necessarily be validated by Europeans.”
Dr. Newton said Black adults and youth, are deeply scarred and suffer from a term she coined called “post-traumatic slavery disorder.”
“A job has really been done on us. We don’t support each other,” she said. “We live in a country and environment born of violence. Europeans stole all the land from indigenous people, kidnapped us and brought us here. Things upside down, people are confused about who they are and their value system is skewed. This conspiracy of silence is hurting our children. All this repressed anger has to come out. Either people hold it or it erupts into homicide, violence. When you talk to young people, they don’t see any future. They engage in risk-taking behaviors, join gangs which function as families and they’re encouraged to be psychopathic.”
Suicide rates among Native American youth are just as alarming. According to the Center For Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute, suicide rates are more than double, and Native teens experience the highest rate of suicide of any population group in the United States.
It’s the second leading cause of death—and 2.5 times the national rate—for American Indian and alaskan Native youth in the 15-24 age group.
When she opened the doors of the Terrie Williams Agency in 1988, publicist and author Terrie G. Williams ended up living a double life. On the outside she exuded success, guiding the careers of clients like Eddie Murphy, Miles Davis, Anita Baker, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Janet Jackson and other megastars; glided through power lunches and parties; attended film openings and press events. But soon the demands of that superbusy lifestyle caught up with her. Compounding her fatigue was the desire to take care of her myriad responsibilities and growing clientele, effortlessly evoke the image of success and be very much the Superwoman. But soon, what she describes as a crippling depression overwhelmed her.
“My mood-altering drug of choice was food. I ate when I felt empty, and that was most of the time. It’s crazy how something so soothing can be so destructive.”
Ms. Williams said she climbed out of her depression with the help of counseling, meditation and a closer relationship with God. These days, she travels widely informing listeners about her depression, as well as ways to conquer the disease. As she views America’s landscape and Black people’s place in it, Ms.williams said African Americans are battered every day by racism, discrimination and other problems. Often, she explained, so many people are depressed and don’t know it.
“There’s a greater awareness of depression in our community. What it looks and sounds like. It’s screaming at us from everywhere,” she said. “The hardest job in America is being a brother and a dark-complexioned brother. I was teaching a class and a kid got up and said he had stabbed someone. He said, ‘he wasn’t even the one I was mad at.’ I thought how really telling is that? Usually, I walk down the street smiling, just to kind of see if they’d be open enough to smile back, be open. I think brothers need love. I make eye contact, say hey. I want brothers to know that they matter. At every turn they’re told they’re nothing,” said Ms. Williams.
“And now with all the brothers being assassinated by police, it’s gut-wrenching. Another one of us is taken out. We’re not given the help that we need to handle posttraumatic stress disorder. I talk about the need to go to a counselor. It not just the baggage we carry. Every day our men are assaulted. I say it all the time that it’s the hardest job in America. Phew…”
In her article that was posted on ebony.com, Dr. Matheson encouraged parents to believe their teens when they express despair or suicidal thoughts. “Open the lines of communication. Avoid feeling guilty or embarrassed. Recruit the village, the teen’s favorite teacher, grandparents, or friends, to be willing listeners,” she explained.
“Create a safety plan barring ready access to things like pharmaceuticals or guns. Agree upon a code word that your child can use to avoid admitting to thoughts of suicide while alerting the parent that he or she is in crisis. Seek help from a mental health clinician.”
In addition to being open talking about depression, Ms. Williams, who has mentored several young men and women, spoke of the importance of creating safe spaces for teens and adults to be themselves.
“I just believe in having gatherings of brothers who come together. It’s not just brothers though. We come together and share our stories,” she said. “It’s harder for brothers to reveal who they are. Once someone opens up, shares, one person shares and the floodgates open. Create that healing space. It’s just so rewarding.
We have to create environments where this can happen. I believe that we really have to share stories with young people and share the mistakes we’ve made. It’s not brain surgery. I will share what therapy looks and feels like. It’s not a sign of weakness. We need to create healing spaces, have a place where we can cry. I encourage it. It’s just so rewarding.”
(Final Call staff contributed to this report.)