Seeing rise in suicides among Black Cook County residents, city officials and mental health experts work on outreach
Chicago TribuneFeb 26, 2021
Mental health challenges among young and older Black Chicagoans were amplified in 2020 by the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 and trauma from police brutality.
With 97 Black Cook County residents dying by suicide last year, ranging in age from 9 to 84, according to the medical examiner’s office, city officials and mental health advocates say they have been working on ways to respond.
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Using billboards and bus stop ads are among its efforts to increase awareness, says Jasmin. The city also plans to fund mental health response teams that will travel to meet patients and serve predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods.
One way local groups are helping is by training people to recognize signs of mental health issues. Late last year, for example, the
“We have to be building the community support,” said chief operating officer
Five Black Cook County residents have died by suicide this year; last year’s number was the highest total for a single year in more than a decade, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report. The rise in suicides among Black Chicagoans has forced a renewed look at mental health outreach and support.
“It feels like there’s a moment where everyone’s talking about mental health in a way that we haven’t before,” said
Suicide is a complex issue, one that is never rooted in any one factor, says Cicchetti. A suicide prevention strategic plan released in 2020 by the
And the report noted Black residents face extra stressors, including institutional and individual racism.
“Black people consistently receive messages from society that they are to be under suspicion for being violent criminals and that their bodies have no value and can be subjected to violence and violation at any time,” the report stated. “These racist messages can lead to negative self-perceptions and doubts about their value and place in the world, especially in young Black boys.”
Within the Black community, she said, “We’re talking about a population where talking is not an easy thing. Sharing your weaknesses is not an easy thing to do. There’s a sort of cultural identity aspect of being private, but also being strong and being able to withstand just about anything.”
Allen added, “You put that together with what’s happening in the world right now, you put that in combination with what happened last summer in terms of racial inequity and racial injustice, it begins to be too much.”
One of her courses trains adults to recognize when kids need help.
“When we have children that are struggling with an issue, sometimes parents will minimize it, or it’ll get mislabeled as a behavioral issue,” she said.
Even before the pandemic, the
Data from
Now, as COVID-19 means children are facing social isolation, as well as anxiety over whether family members will become ill and potentially die, Cicchetti said reaching out and reducing stigma is even more vital.
“We’ve got to do a better job of identifying kids who are hurting and helping,” Cicchetti said.
Cicchetti’s team created a Stress & Coping Toolkit being piloted in some CPS middle school classrooms. Because supporting teachers is key to supporting children, Cicchetti said they have created a
Jasmin said the city sought input from teenagers for its awareness campaign, finding out, for example, that teenagers were more apt to seek help through texting. She said the city also boosted funds to community based and federally qualified health centers that provide mental health services, which may help hire more therapists.
City clinics provide mental health support regardless of people’s ability to pay or their citizenship status; people can search the Chicago Connects by ZIP code to find individual therapy options.
This is important, Jasmin said, not only for the current need but also as a proactive safety net when the pandemic ebbs.
“As things normalize, it wouldn’t surprise me if we would see an actual increased need for mental health services, as people are able to take the time to feel the effects,” Jasmin said.
McGowan-Tomke said it is important to focus on community support and remember help is available.
“We lose sight of hope when those challenges occur,” she said. “There is support, and there is help available.”
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