Suicide Remains Taboo Topic Among Blacks

On Memorial Day, a woman said to be from Philadelphia fell to her death as she was visiting Howard Plaza Towers West, a dormitory for upperclassmen on the Howard University campus. Witnesses say she jumped from an eighth-floor window.

Photo credit: Howard University Howard University's Counseling Service "provides a safe place to talk one-to-one about a broad range of concerns," the university says.

The student witnesses said the woman, white and college age, was visiting her girlfriend, and that the couple had broken up earlier that Monday. She had been sitting in the window most of the day, cursing and screaming, until students finally called Howard University Campus Police. The woman jumped about an hour after the police left, landing on a plaza-level balcony.

At George Washington University, two students died as a result of suicide during the past school year. At New York University, five students have committed suicide since September 2003.

New York University placed counselors in residence halls and limited access to balconies. George Washington doubled the number of hours available for student health counseling services to 20 a week.

While there have been no suicides at the College of William and Mary, that school began a program to reduce tensions called �Dog Day Afternoon,� in which the counseling center staff and a local organization, Canine Connections, bring dogs to campus for students to pat and relax during finals.

However, no data have been collected on suicide deaths at campuses at historically black colleges and universities, nor have there been news reports looking at suicides at HBCUs, because of the stigma attached to suicides in the black community, according to Dr. Donna Holland Barnes, a suicide counselor at Howard.

Indeed, a number of residents at Howard Plaza Towers said they were upset that the suicide received little acknowledgment from Howard officials. �The students put up a shrine with flowers in front of the Towers but there is no recognition of the girl�s death. It seems like Howard doesn�t want this to get out,� said resident Malerie Matlock, a senior.

The university noted that it sent a statement to students via their Howard e-mail accounts. J.J. Pryor, the assistant provost, wrote, �We are deeply saddened to report the death of a visitor to our campus over the Memorial Day weekend. Our heartfelt condolences go to her family and friends.�

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists conflict with a girlfriend or boyfriend as one of the leading causes of suicide attempts.

Additionally, according to the National Institute for Mental Health, gay, lesbian and bisexual youth attempt suicide more often than heterosexual youth.

Suicides kill about 30,000 Americans each year. It is the third leading cause of death among people ages 15-24, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, after accidents and homicides.

Furthermore, suicides among blacks have risen. In 1980, the number of suicides among the white population was 157 percent greater than for blacks. By 1995, the gap had dropped to 42 percent, according to the CDC.

Barnes studies suicide at Howard University�s Mental Health Clinic and is president of the National Organization for People of Color Against Suicide. Her group seeks to open discussion about suicide in the black community, since it is typically treated as a taboo. �I want people to feel like they can openly talk about suicide and stop trying to muffle the word,� Barnes said.

According to Barnes, suicide among black youths is increasing because relationships in the black community are not as close as they once were. �The black community has a strong religious base and a belief system, but parents have moved their children out of the black community and into neighborhoods with better schools. They think it is good for their children, but now you have to drive to church instead of just walking, and they�re not as strongly involved in the church. Families were close. We don�t have that close-knit community anymore,� she said.

To alleviate these problems of lack of closeness and having someone to talk to, Barnes encourages black communities to create programs where people in a crisis can have an open, honest discussion about their problems. In fact, Barnes said she would like to create a �sister�s circle� program at Howard. �The best way to get through a problem is to talk to someone,� she said.

And while Barnes suggests speaking with a professional when a person is feeling overwhelmed, she adds that speaking with a trusted friend or someone in the same situation can also help.

Howard University student Brandi Peters chose to speak with a professional when she felt she needed someone to talk to, even though she was not depressed. When she told her friends that she had seen a therapist, many did not understand. �Some people can be very judgmental and close-minded. They think I was crazy or [was] prescribed drugs, but I just went to speak with someone,� she said. Peters added that a therapist does not prescribe medicine and is there to help those in crisis before they resort to drastic measures.

Similarly, former Howard student Courtney Wright chose to speak with a pastor. �A lot of people don�t realize that pastors are licensed therapists and counselors and they are required by law to keep your conversation confidential,� she said.

Wright said she believes it is hard to talk about depression and suicide in the black community because black families tend to keep things secret instead of addressing the problem. They have the attitude that, �our family business is our family business and no one needs to know. You can�t even talk about it with family outside of your immediate family,� she said.

Wright said she was close to committing suicide and was forced to leave Howard while seeking professional help. She said she planned to return to Howard this fall.

Barnes has written a grant proposal for funding to bring a suicide prevention group to Howard�s campus that will deal with crisis management.

She said a decision will be made by September, but that she will keep trying if this proposal is rejected. Barnes said she would like to start collecting data on suicide rates at other HBCUs with her organization, NOPCAS.

As for the woman who committed suicide on Howard�s campus, Barnes said she would like to reach out the family. �I would just like to call on behalf of the university to let her family know that someone here cares,� she said.

Police said they could not release the woman�s name because her death was still under investigation.

Joi Gilliam is a student at Howard University.

Posted June 24, 2005