Racism: A Leading Cause of Death
Suicide rates among Black youth are skyrocketing.
Parents everywhere have learned the awful statistics over the last 15 years: Suicide has become a leading cause of death among teenagers.
In the United States, teenagers and young adults die from suicide at a higher rate than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, congenital disabilities, stroke, pneumonia, flu, and chronic lung disease combined. Every day, 3,700 high school students attempt suicide.
That wasn’t a typo.
For Black youth, however, the numbers are far more devastating.
Suicide is now the third leading cause of death for Black youth ages 10 to 24.
Since 2022, the suicide rate among Black youth ages 10 to 19 far outpaced white children in the same age group, increasing a staggering 54% since 2018, compared to a 17% decrease for white youth. The suicide rate is rising at a faster rate than any other group.
Of course, there are many causes of suicide. Untreated depression, anxiety, and bullying in school or on social media are not limited to Black youth — these issues affect young people everywhere.
Black adolescents, though, are burdened with the additional stress and harm of racism.
