Research to Prevent Suicide of Black Youth Must Take Ground Zero Approach, Say Experts

More research on the prevention of suicide among Black youth is urgently needed, yet clinicians can and should address suicidality within this population in their practices now, according to two viewpoints published today inJAMA Pediatrics.Over the past several decades, data have clearly illustrated the rising trend of suicide among Black youth,wrote Arielle H. Sheftall, Ph.D., a principal investigator in the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children ’s Hospital in Ohio, and Adam Bryant Miller, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Neurosciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “[T]he rate of suicide in Black youth younger than 13 years is approximately 2 times higher compared with their White counterparts,” Sheftall and Miller wrote.Following areport released by the Congressional Black Caucus in December 2019, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)requested information on key points related to the prevention of suicide among Black youth. Sheftall, Miller, and colleagues responded to the request by outlining areas that require more research to address suicide prevention among this population, including culturally relevant risk factors and the developmental trajectory of suicidal ideation and behavior among Black youth.Research on suicide in this population cannot be conducted through a “White-centric lens,” Sheftall and Miller wrote. Risk f...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Adam Bryant Miller Arielle Sheftall Black youth suicide JAMA Pediatrics race-related stressors racism suicidal ideation suicidality screenings suicide attempts suicide prevention Tennisha Riley Source Type: research