Editor’s Note: This story includes accounts of self-harm and suicide. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline number, a free and confidential service, is available in either English (1-800-273-8255) or Spanish (1-888-628-9454).
NSPH is also online and has representatives available to talk through chat at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Youth suicide has been on the rise across the United States.
And for young people between the ages of 5 and 12, the suicide rate for Black children is nearly double that of white children.
The pandemic has made the situation even worse.
Today, On Point: The mental health emergency for children of color.
Guests
Tami Charles, she lost her 10-year-old son, Seven Bridges, to suicide.
Kevin Simon, trained adult, child and adolescent psychiatrist physician. Assistant at the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Boston Children’s Hospital. Instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. (@DrKMSimon)
Related Reading
The Commonwealth Fund: “Closing the Mental Health Care Gap for Black Teens” — “In the face of overwhelming demand for behavioral health services, the unmet needs of one group stands out: Black and brown teenagers.”
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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