Photo: Randi Bryant
I had a long, drawn out post sitting in my drafts for months. I was trying to be as informative, and impactful as I could while creating the post.
All of that went out of the window with yesterday’s headline:
Black Children Are at a Higher Risk for Suicide Between the Ages of 5 and 12! Read HERE😓
Not to mention that both Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain slipped away just this week but so have countless other not-so-well-known souls, for decades with no fanfare.
On Wanting to Leave: Suicide and the Black Community is an insightful and informational look at this oft unspoken of issue by Toni Bell.
According to statistics on African Americans and suicide according to Suicidology.com.
✤African-American women are more likely than African-American men to attempt suicide.
✤Firearms are the predominant method of suicide, followed by suffocation.
✤Suicide is the 16th leading cause of death for blacks of all ages and the third leading cause of death for black males between the ages of 15 and 24.
✤Black men and women have similar rates of suicidal behavior to whites, including serious thoughts of suicide, making suicide plans, attempting suicide, and needing medical attention for attempted suicide.
Below are additional resources to explore and a number for assistance.
🖤In a new short and stunningly shot documentary titled, WTF Is Mental Health?, Queen Sugar actor Kofi Siriboe explores how the young black community navigates mental health in 2018. Watch HERE
🖤FACT: Suicide in the Black community may be a difficult concept to understand, but it should never be assumed to be cowardly. Read the article Health and the Black Community – Reimagining Black Suicide
Take Great Care…
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Available 24/7 at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
- NAMI (@namiorg): Dedicated to improving the lives of anyone living with mental illness. Free to chat at 1-800-950-6264. Free support 24/7 Text NAMI to 741741
- The Trevor Project (@thetrevorproject): Confidential suicide hotline for LGBTQ+ young people. Available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386.
