Suicide prevention in Black communities is important. Thanks to the good folks over at 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms, we’ve complied some statistics as well as resources to help stop suicide.
Founded by Tansy McNulty, 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms is a member-led organization working to eliminate police brutality through legal action and advocacy and increase representation in the criminal justice system by supporting the talent pipeline of diverse attorneys, judges, policy makers, and other criminal justice professions.
The information was pulled from Clark County School District Crisis Response team in Nevada, presented to 1M4 by Nationally certified school psychologists. Thank you Tansy and 1M4®️ for providing this info!
Facts About Suicide United States, 2019
● 47,511 suicide deaths ● Firearms used in over 50.4% of suicides ● 10th leading cause of death – homicide is 16th
● 2 nd leading cause for youth (15-24) ● 3.6 males deaths to every female death ● A suicide every 11.1 minutes
The Challenges of the Adolescent
❏ Mental illness ❏ School difficulties or performance anxieties ❏ Break-ups ❏ Impulsivity and accessible firearms ❏ Isolation and rejection ❏ Substance use ❏ Bullying / being bullied 4 ❏ Highly vulnerable group ❏ Living in a violent & abusive environment ❏ Lack of support network ❏ Usually successive in their attempt to suicide ❏ Male : Female ratio almost equal
Risk Factors
• Depression • Low self-esteem • Mental illness • Substance abuse or dependence • Eating Disorders
• Family history of suicide • Self-mutilation • Prior suicide attempt • Situational Crisis
Warning Signs What To Look For?
● Talking about suicide ● Withdrawal from friends and family ● Making statements about feeling hopeless, helpless, or worthless ● Dramatic changes in mood ● Preoccupation with death ● Purposelessness, no sense of a reason for living ● A loss of interest in the things one cares about ● Giving away valued possessions ● Unexplained anger, aggression, and/or irritability ● Loss of an important relationship
What if I am concerned? You may ask the following questions:
• Do you feel like your mood has changed lately? • Have you been feeling sad in the last week or two? • Have you felt an increase in stress lately? • Have any stressful events happened recently in your life? • Have you had thoughts of hurting yourself? • Have you felt so bad that you have had thoughts of death or thoughts of suicide?
How can you help? If you are concerned that the person is at risk to harm himself/herself or others, you should
• Listen • Discuss / care about issues and troubles • Ask them to talk with someone who can help
● DON’T Encourage him or her to do it ● Act shocked at the person’s desire to die ● Rush to try to “fix” or “cheer up” the person ● Judge or minimize what he or she is going through
Addressing the Myths
● Asking someone about suicide will increase the risk of suicide. ● Only experts can stop a suicide. ● Suicidal people don’t talk about it. ● Those who talk about suicide don’t do it. ● Once a person decides to attempt suicide, no one can change their mind. ● No one can stop suicide.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) at any time for you or someone you know is struggling.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) at any time if you or someone you know is struggling.