Black male suicide warning signs
When word spread that a prominent Hampton University grad had taken his life, it rocked social media and garnered shock from the thousands of lives he inadvertently touched. Yusuf Neville was a handsome 28-year-old North Carolinian who was well established and well liked with connections to entertainers. For reasons that remain unknown, he committed suicide on a chilly January morning, leaving family and friends ravaged with heartbreak and dejection.
According to the CDC, in the most recent year for which data is available, 2010, 38,364 suicides were reported and suicide became the 10th leading cause of death for Americans. In the black community in particular, suicide is the third leading cause of death among males between ages 15 and 24. The black male suicide rate is also five times higher than that of black females.
According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, black suicide risk factors include marital status, family conflict, hopelessness, racism and discrimination. The center reports that suicide “triggers” include breakups, problems at work, worsening health and financial hardship.
We may never know what was going through the Yusef Neville’s head nor does it need to be public knowledge, but at the request of a family member and because I attended college with the deceased, this writer compiled a list of warning signs to look for.
Check out black male suicide warning signs below. -danielle canada
