Social Policy

Suicide Rates Rise Among Black Youth

The suicide rate among black teens has long lagged the rate among white teenagers, but the gap has been narrowing dramatically in the past several decades, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study to be released today.

  • The suicide rate for blacks age 10 through 19 increased from about 2 per 1,000 population in 1980 to 4.6 per 1,000 in 1995.

  • In 1980, the suicide rate for young whites was 157 percent greater than for young blacks.

  • As of 1995, the gap had narrowed to a 42 percent difference.

  • The largest increase in teen black suicides occurred in the South -- an increase of 214 percent, according to the report.

The report's authors said they were not sure what factors may be causing the changes.

Sociologists and scholars of African-American culture say that suicide has long been a taboo in black communities. They theorize that one consequence of rising prosperity and social integration for blacks over the past few decades has been that some have distanced themselves from family and other supportive social institutions.

Source: Rene Sanchez, "Black Teen Suicide Rate Increases Dramatically," Washington Post, March 20, 1998.


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