Why Are More Black Americans Committing Suicide?

Five possible reasons behind the alarming increase and a call for more attention and research

Two devastating losses marked the beginning of this year. The death of attorney, former Miss USA, activist, and entertainment news correspondent Cheslie Kryst and up and coming musician and songwriter Ian King Jr. He was also Academy Award-winning actress Regina King’s son. Both died by suicide, and both were Black.

The deaths of Kryst and King sent shock waves through the Black community and also among their fans. Both were young — Kryst was only 30 years old, and Ian King Jr. had just turned 26 three days before taking his life. Both were successful and appeared to have the world at their fingertips. To add insult to injury, 19-year-old college cheerleader Arlana Miller committed suicide on May 5. Miller was a freshman at Southern University and A&M College in Louisiana who shared some of her feelings of severe depression on social media before taking her life.

Sadly, Kryst, King, and Miller are not alone, and their upsetting deaths have shed light on an ongoing issue that has caused concern for members of the mental health field and Blacks: increasing rates of suicide in the Black community. A recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and…