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Share this article Published: Monday, February 23, 2009

Updated: Monday, February 23, 2009

When the nation learned that 10-year-old Aquan Lewis took his own life by hanging himself in his school bathroom, we were shocked. We were shocked because he was a young black male and society has taught us that this demographic is not nearly as likely as other groups to commit suicide.

In reality, suicide is a leading cause of death for black males.

Originally, the boy’s mother planned to have a separate autopsy done because she did not believe that her own child would commit suicide. The issue here is not only that suicide is the leading cause of death for black men, but it is that those who can help them are failing to acknowledge that they are turning to suicide.

In the black community, men are taught to be the leaders at a young age; they are taught to hide emotion and be strong.

Mental illness issues, in general, go unnoticed in the black community because the family unit and the church are seen as the cure to all ailments. Although these are at the core of black values, sometimes medical attention is needed to help people who are dealing with depression and other mental illnesses.

According to the American Association of Suicidology, in 2005 1,992 African-Americans committed suicide. Of these, an alarming 81 percent (1, 621) were males.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students and the third leading cause of death for African-American youth. For black males ages 15 to 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death and the fourth leading cause of death for black males ages 10 to 14.

We must remove the stereotypes associated with black men and suicide in order to help decrease these statistics. Black men are human and they deal with the same emotions their female and white counterparts deal with.

It would be ignorant of society to allow this issue to remain under wraps. The plight and stereotypes of the black man are magnified by American society, but his struggle and his humanity are ignored. This is unacceptable and it should not be shocking to learn that black men deal with mental health issues.

If you or someone that you know is in need of counseling, please do not wait until it is too late to receive help.

SUICIDE DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE