Suicide Rates Among Black Children on the Rise, New Study Shows

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A new study has found that the suicide rate among black children has increased nearly two-fold.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics last Tuesday and the results were taken from analyzing information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Inquisitr. From 1993 to 2012, there were more than 600 cases of suicide among children ages 5 to 11 - 84% were boys.

The results shocked researchers as the rate for black children increased from 1.36 to 2.54 per one million children. For white children the rate fell from 1.14 to 0.77 per one million children, according to the New York Times.

"Suicide rates in the U.S. have historically been higher among white individuals across all age groups. We were very surprised to see higher suicide rates among black children over time," Jeffrey Bridge, epidemiologist, from Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio told CNN.

The researchers were baffled by their findings as it was the first time that blacks had a higher suicide rates than whites.

"I was shocked, I'll be honest with you," said Bridge via NY Times. "I looked at it and I thought, 'Did we do the analysis correctly?' I thought we had made a mistake."

The study did not show why young black children were suddenly more susceptible to taking their own lives. RT.com reports that it may be due to exposure to aggression and violence, and the tendency to not voice out any needed help for depression and suicide attempts. Furthermore, black children go through puberty earlier as well.

"Many factors - including increased exposure to violence and traumatic stress; early onset of puberty; and lower likelihood to seek help for depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts - may be contributing to the disparity, but the specific impact of each of these factors is unclear," Bridge said via Reuters.

"Along the same lines, for many years black youth have used mental health services less than white children and youth," according to Stacey Freedenthal from Denver University who did not take part in the research. "This could be a factor in suicide rates, but why now when the differences in service use have existed for so long?"

The research found that the most common method of suicide for young children were hanging and suffocation, which makes up of more than 75% of the deaths. Shooting was second and makes up of more than 15% of the cases.

Psychologist Dr. Lauren Patton said that the study "blows our minds as clinicians," referring to the youth suicide trend. She adds that it makes them wonder, "what's happening that a five-year-old who's barely potty-trained is engaging in...self-injurious behavior."