Blacks Less Likely to Show Suicide Factors

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Blacks Less Likely to Show Suicide Factors

By DANIEL YEE, Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA - A study of suicides in Fulton County found that blacks who
commit suicide aren't as likely as whites to display telltale
suicide risk factors such as depression, health officials said
Monday.

The Georgia Division of Public Health studied 1,300 suicides in
Fulton County between 1988 and 2002 and found blacks were less
likely than whites to have known risk factors including depression,
chronic disease, relationship or money problems.

They also were less likely than whites to leave a suicide note or
have previously talked about suicide, health officials said.

"Risk factors associated with white suicide may not be predictive of
suicides among blacks," health officials said, adding that more
needs to be done to eliminate cultural stigmas against talking about
mental health issues.

Only 15 percent of the 348 blacks who committed suicide left behind
a suicide note, compared with 36 percent of 784 whites. About 63
percent of whites and 42 percent of blacks had a history of
depression leading up to the suicides.

Both groups frequently used firearms in suicides. Guns were used 62
percent of the time for black suicides and 59 percent of the time
for whites.

Fulton County was selected because a similar number of blacks and
whites live there and health officials do not have as much data on
suicides of blacks as they do for whites.

Nationwide, about there are about 30,000 suicides each year,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news -
web sites), which released the study Monday at its Epidemic
Intelligence Service conference in Atlanta.

Although suicide is more frequent among whites than blacks, blacks
age 25 to 34 have higher suicide rates than whites in the same age
group. Suicide is more common among elderly whites age 75 to 84 than
blacks, health officials said.
___

Georgia Division of Public Health:

http://www.ph.dhr.state.ga.us/

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