Key Points:
- Suicide among Black girls and women is a growing problem.
- Lincoln University administrator’s suicide highlights workplace harassment and bullying.
- Major factors are driving this increase that can be addressed.
Dr. Antoinette Candia-Bailey was by all means a superstar.
With 20-plus years of higher education and two advanced degrees, she had recently taken a dream job as a vice president for student affairs at Lincoln University, where she was a beloved alumna.
It’s no wonder her suicide on Jan. 8, just five days after being fired from her position, has become a top-trending subject on the internet.
The discussions revolve around workplace bullying, and her boss, the university’s president, has since taken a paid leave of absence following calls for his termination.
The other discussion revolves around depression in Black women and the need for self care.
However, very little of the discussion has revolved around the fact that Candia-Bailey is part of a growing trend: an increase in suicide among Black females.
Black Suicide?
Suicide rates among Black people have consistently been the lowest among any racial group. It’s a statistic that’s contradictory considering the enduring racism, marginalization and violence Blacks endure.
The suicide rate for Black women has been the lowest of all groups, leading to growing acceptance of the “Strong Black Woman” identity, with Black women assumed to be just “keep on keepin’ on” despite what they endure.
However, recent suicide statistics support a growing crack in that model. The stats are both grim and alarming. suicide rates rose from 2 deaths per 100,000 in 1999 to 3.4 per 100,000 in 2020. Increases considerably spiked among Black women and girls ages 15 to 24, rising from 1.9 to 4.9 per 100,000 during that time frame.
This short time frame may reflect an anomaly associated with the pandemic, but stats over longer timeframes also reflect alarming increases in Black female suicides, particularly in younger Black women.
From 2001 to 2017, suicide death rates among Black girls age 13 to 19 rose a staggering 182%. The two decades between 1999 and 2019 saw suicide rates for Black women between the ages of 25 and 44 increase by 72%
“High rates among those aged 25–27 years suggest that this age may be a developmental period for Black women with particular need of additional support,” the study suggested.
What’s Behind the Increase?
In brief, Patrice Harris, MD, a Black woman and the chief health and medical editor for EverydayHealth.com, writes about five key factors.
Social Media
Social media can make people feel pressure that can negatively affect one’s sense of self-worth, identity, and sense of belonging, especially among young people.
Harris says that cyberbullying is an increasingly common form of bullying experienced by Black adolescents.
Mental Health Stigma in Black Community
This stigma has had myriad consequences for Black communities, including preventing many Black people from seeking the help they need, causing them to repress their symptoms instead. It has also perpetuated the false notion that Black people do not experience mental illness or suicide.
“Young Black girls often hear the message of the strong Black woman, and young Black boys often hear the message that if they seek help, they are weak.”
Limited Access to Treatment
Harris says there are access problems in the Black community including lack of access to quality medical insurance and education about how to locate a local mental health provider.
Plus, a lack of culturally conscious medical providers only makes matters worse.
Only 2% of psychiatrists and 4% of psychologists in the United States are Black, according to the American Psychiatric Association and American Psychological Association.
Racism and Discrimination
Black people regularly experience structural racism that pervades public policies, institutions, housing, education, and the justice system, among other areas with these different types of racism and discrimination causing stress and trauma to Black people on the receiving end.
Exposure to Violence
Like racism, continued exposure to violence may factor into increasing suicide rates among Black people. A great deal of research has shown the detrimental effects of violence and accumulative trauma.
Children who are exposed to violence are more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol, experience school-related difficulties, develop depression or other mental health issues, and behave aggressively.
The Bottom Line
According to Harris, key steps to reducing these rates include reframing how mental health issues are viewed and discussed in Black communities and addressing mental health stigma among Black people.
It must be a collective effort in the Black community, Harris stresses.
##
