1. Black Men and Suicide Prevention
Debra Anderson
Mental Health Nurse and Community Educator

2. Goals
We will decrease the number of suicides in the African American community
We will educate healthcare workers, families, and at-risk men on suicide prevention
We will identify people before crisis with screening tool
We will remove stigma, increase awareness, and deliver culturally competent interventions

3. Who
African American men who are not receiving mental health services

4. What In the USA one person takes their life every eighteen minutes
Suicide is the third leading cause of death for year-old black men
Black men commit suicide 5 times more than black women

5. Risk Factors Male gender Age 65 or older Recent losses
Terminal illness
Unemployment
Sexual abuse history
Lives alone

6. Risk Factors, cont Lives alone No children under 18 PTSD
Public humiliation
Legal or financial problems
Previous attempts
Family history of suicide

7. Protective Factors Effective clinical care
Easy access to varied clinical interventions
Restricted access to highly lethal means of suicide
Strong connections to family and community support

8. Protective Factors, cont
Support through ongoing medical and mental health care relationships
Skills in problem solving, conflict resolution, and handling problems non-violently
Cultural and/or religious beliefs that discourage and support self-preservation

9. The number one coping skill
“Ask for Help”
The number one coping skill

10. When to Step In If you see: withdrawal sleeping too much poor appetite
poor hygiene
no motivation

11. When to Step In, cont Or see: physical complaints drinking alcohol
low energy
impaired functioning in roles and tasks
social isolation

12. Ask the tough questions:

13. Do you feel like killing yourself?

14. Do you think of giving up sometimes?

15. Do you want to go to sleep and never wake up?

16. Is life too hard to bear?

17. Do you have a plan?

18. Where to Find Help 911 Hospital ER
Suicide hotline: TALK (8255)
Psychologist
Psychiatrist
Social workers

19. What Else to Do
Stay with the suicidal person one-on-one until help arrives
Remove firearms from the home
Take care of yourself

20. Sources Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010
Each Mind Matters, National Alliance for Mental Illness
Jet Magazine
Newsweek

21. I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you
I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.
Jeremiah 29:11

22. In memory of
Pops
12/12/12