Racial disparities are causing a rise in suicides
When children are faced with discrimination, their mental health is likely to be affected first, while effects on physical health take decades to appear.
As conversations on racial disparities in physical health have emerged all over the country, the disproportionate burden of mental health disparities on Black children and adolescents is a topic that is worth being widely discussed.
This topic is especially important as the United States reflected upon suicide prevention month last September.
Alarmingly high suicide and depression rates among Black youth, as documented by the American Psychological Association in 2020, led pediatricians and child psychologists to question if early experiences of racism are responsible for the increase in mental illness amongst Black children.
While this country is faced with braving the COVID-19 pandemic, the silent epidemic of mental illness amongst this racial group is still brewing.
Adverse childhood experiences
A sad and unfortunate fact is that most of these early experiences of racism reportedly occur in school, during a child’s developmental years.
These experiences contribute to adverse childhood experiences (ACES), which can be experienced anywhere from 0 to 17 years old. An adverse childhood experience describes a traumatic experience in a person’s life occurring before the age of 18 that the person remembers as an adult.
According to the 2016-18 data collection by the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), 10% of Black youth have experiences of interpersonal racism. This percentage equates to about 916,000 Black children in the US.
When children are faced with discrimination, their mental health is more likely to be affected first, while the effects on physical health usually take decades to appear.
Depression and suicide in Black youth
According to the American Psychological Association, as Black children internalize racial discrimination, mental disorders such as depression begin to settle in and take over their young, developing minds.
In 2017, over 3,000 people died by suicide and the suicide rate among Black youth rose from 2.55 per 100,000 in 2007 to 4.82 per 100,000 in 2017. Studies have also shown that Black children under the age of 13 are two times more likely to die by suicide in comparison to their white counterparts.
From 2016 to 2018, troubling data reveals that among children from ages 5-11, Black children had the highest suicide mortality rate. Between 2003 to 2007, there were 54 Black children who died by suicide which increased to 59 between 2008 to 2012.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show the rate of suicide attempts by Black adolescents rose by 73% from 1991 to 2017 while suicide attempts among white teens decreased in the same period.
These numbers raised concern for child psychologists all over the country and forced them to question if the problem was not only with their diagnosis, but with their treatments as well.
Studies have shown that in general, Black individuals are typically diagnosed with chronic brain disorders like schizophrenia, rather than mood disorders like depression and anxiety compared to their White counterparts that are experiencing the same or similar symptoms of mental illness.
Therapists must learn to think outside of the box and take different approaches when diagnosing and treating Black children with mental illness. The childhood experiences of Black children is quite different from the childhood experiences of their white counterparts, and this must be recognized and addressed in order to make progress in this issue.
Anxiety and PTSD in Black Youth
Developmental experts and psychologists agree that exposure to racism from a young age leads to toxic stress, and ultimately results in anxiety that follows people for the rest of their lives.
The standard definition of stress is a mental strain resulting from adversity and in the context of racism, stress becomes toxic when children consistently face racial discrimination. As racial tension rose in the US last year, so did the stress and anxiety levels of young Black children all over the country.
Suddenly, videos of Black individuals being murdered in broad daylight and harassed by law enforcement were broadcasted to the world, and everyone sat up to watch.
It is no secret that during this time, anxiety disorders became more prevalent in Black children, and navigating an already challenging world became even tougher.
Seeing such a violent world around them left many Black children all over the country feeling stressed, anxious, confused and perplexed. The tension of last year exacerbated an issue, which in reality, has always existed.
According to a study done by the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black Americans are 20% more likely to experience mental health problems than the general population.
Studies have also shown that Black youth who have been exposed to violence are at a greater risk for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) by over 25%. In many cases, PTSD in Black youth is perpetuated by early experiences of racism.
So, what is the solution?
• The role of racism in child and adolescent mental health must be acknowledged.
• Schools should take active measures to combat the racism that happens within the walls of their institutions. Existing data suggests that most racial discrimination faced by children takes place in school.
• Efforts should be made to ensure that school is a place where Black children feel supported and uplifted, rather than excluded and ignored.
• Resources and efforts should be invested into pipeline strategies to produce Black Therapists. There is an estimated amount of 41,000 psychiatrists in the US, and only 4% are Black.