Washington University in St. Louis says suicide attempts declined overall among adolescents in America between 1991 and 2017, but they climbed by 73% among black adolescents. Professor Sean Joe says the increase can most likely be traced back to an internalization of issues around structural racism, a lack of coping mechanisms and investment in mental health services in black communities.
Sean Joe Bio Image
The findings also reveal that almost one in five adolescents are thinking about suicide and more than one in 10 has a suicide plan.
The study suggests that more resources should be invested in youth suicide prevention programs.
Researchers used the nationally representative school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey of nearly 200,000 high school students to review suicide trends by different racial and ethnic groups.
For more about the research, click here.
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