The New York State Office of Mental Health’s Suicide Prevention Task Force reconvened with 32 members participating in its inaugural meeting. Overseen by the agency, the reconvened Task Force is aimed at building upon the recommendation made by its predecessor to strengthen public health approaches, enhance health system competencies, improve data surveillance methods, and infuse cultural competency in the state’s suicide prevention strategy.
While the suicide rate in New York State has remained relatively stable since 2012, a recent report by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlighted racial/ethnic disparities, including among black and Hispanic individuals. The report showed the suicide rate among Black individuals increased by about 19 percent and 7 percent among Hispanic individuals between 2018 and 2021.
Last year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued its Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which also found alarming mental health trends among high school-aged youth between 2011 and 2021 – especially among teen girls. Nearly a third of teen girls seriously considered attempting suicide in 2021, an increase from 19 percent the prior decade; about three in five felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, which was twice the rate of teen boys and represents a nearly 60 percent increase over the rate recorded in 2011.
This survey also found that youth from marginalized populations are more likely to suffer mental health issues: More than half of LGBTQ+ students expressed having poor mental health, with one in five reporting having attempted suicide in the past year. Suicide attempts were also elevated among Black youth when compared to White youth, according to the report.
Likewise, there have been alarming increases in suicide rates among Black youth. Suicide rates among Black individuals ages 10 to 19 have increased 54 percent since 2018, and faster than all other racial and ethnic groups, according to a report released by the Pew Charitable Trust last month.
The suicide rate among Black youth, ages 10 to 17 rose 144 percent from 2007 to 2020, even though overall youth suicide rates were trending downward. Black adolescents were also significantly less likely than their peers in other demographic groups to receive mental health care, the report found.
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