Boys do(n’t) cry: Addressing the unmet mental health needs of African American boys.

Abstract

If African American boys are contemplating taking their lives at early ages, the hope for future generations is challenging at best. What is going on in African American communities that there is a lack of safe spaces for boys to express their emotions and to share their travails with supportive networks in lieu of ending their lives? The situation of African American boys (ages 5-11) committing suicide at higher levels-more than any other group-and the recent studies regarding the rising rates of suicide among African American adolescent boys (12 and older) call for greater reflection and more discourse around the mental health challenges faced by this group. We must identify the emotional and psychological reasons that underlie suicidal behaviors for African American boys and work to provide immediate intervention. Families, educators, and community workers play key roles in identifying signs of mental health challenges such as depression and connecting African American boys to mental health care services. In this article, the authors discuss specific ways to better support boys who exhibit early signs of depression and suicidal behavior. Topics discussed include (1) untreated depression among African American youth; (2) looking deeper at the reasons for untreated depression; (3) misunderstanding and denial of mental health challenges; (4) risk factors in schools; (5) harsh discipline practices; (6) low teacher expectations; and (7) disconnection from adults. (PsycINFO Database Record

Самоповреждающее Поведение Подростков: Дефиниции, Эпидемиология, Факторы Риска И Защитные Факторы. Сообщение I

“…Swedish children are at greater risk of suicide if they live with an emigrant parent in an area where they are a minority; on the contrary, in areas where most of the population is foreign, they are protected from the risk of suicide. Similar interactions are observed between individual demographic characteristics and the environment in minority groups: Hispanic teens in the United States and South Asian teens in the United Kingdom [39,40,41].…”

“…Шведские дети подвержены бòльшему риску самоубийства, если с родителями-эмигрантами обитают в районе, где оказались меньшинством; напротив, в районах, где большая часть населения иностранцы, они защищены от риска самоубийства. Аналогичные взаимодействия между индивидуальными демографическими характеристиками и окружающей средой в группах меньшинств: испаноязычные подростки в США и южноазиатские -Соединенного Королевства [39,40,41].…”

Racial/Ethnic, Sex, Sexual Orientation, and Socioeconomic Disparities in Suicidal Trajectories and Mental Health Treatment Among Adolescents Transitioning to Young Adulthood in the USA: A Population-Based Cohort Study

“…Black adolescents were less likely than other racial/ethnic groups to be categorized in Trajectory 2 (high-decreasing) and Trajectory 3 (moderate-decreasing-increasing). Possible explanations include misclassification (Phillips and Ruth 1993 ), under-reporting of suicidal ideation due to mistrust of medical and mental health care systems (Shain 2019 ), and cultural influences on the tendency to “tough-it-out” and hide emotions (Lindsey et al 2017 ). For instance, Black adolescents tended to have fewer disclosures of suicidal ideation than their White counterparts (Lindsey et al 2017 ; Willis et al 2003 ).…”

“…Possible explanations include misclassification (Phillips and Ruth 1993 ), under-reporting of suicidal ideation due to mistrust of medical and mental health care systems (Shain 2019 ), and cultural influences on the tendency to “tough-it-out” and hide emotions (Lindsey et al 2017 ). For instance, Black adolescents tended to have fewer disclosures of suicidal ideation than their White counterparts (Lindsey et al 2017 ; Willis et al 2003 ). Lower representation among Black adolescents in the Trajectories 2 and 3 may also be a result that the Add Health baseline sample recruited only students attending high schools.…”

Premature Deaths of Young Black Males in the United States

“…Furthermore, the enormity of suicidal ideation, suicidal attempts, and suicide in the Black community cannot be understated, and it parallels with the community deprivation many Blacks experience (Al-Mateen & Rogers, 2017; Lindsey et al, 2017). For instance, from 1990 to 2003 suicide for Blacks was the 16th leading cause of death and resulted in 28,177 suicides during this timeframe (Crosby & Molock, 2006).…”