This is a word, a podcast from Slate. I'm your host, Jason Johnson. For decades, many

of us viewed mental health and suicide as white people problems. But in recent years,

there's been a disturbing rise in suicide rates for black young people. And even children

as young as the age of five.

Long before their 14, 16, they're already getting signals from society pretty regularly

that their life is not as valuable.

What's behind the rising suicide rates for black kids? And what can we do to stop them?

Coming up on a word with me, Jason Johnson. Stay with us.

Welcome to a word, a podcast about race and politics and everything else. I'm your host,

Jason Johnson. It's September and with schools around the country, welcoming students back,

we're going to spend this month focusing on education and other issues affecting young

people. And we're beginning with a really difficult conversation. We're talking about

rising suicide rates among African American children and youth. Look, before we go any

further, if you or anyone you know are in crisis, you can contact the national suicide

prevention lifeline anytime by calling 988 or by going to 988 lifeline.org. We're talking

about this issue today because this problem has become a crisis. According to research

published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, self-reported suicide attempts

among black adolescents rose by 80% over the last two decades. And among very young suicides,

black children between the ages of five and 12 are twice as likely to kill themselves

as their white counterparts. So what's behind these troubling numbers and what can we do

to save our children? Joining us to talk about this is Dr. Kevin Simon. He's a child and

adolescent psychiatrist and the chief behavioral health officer for the city of Boston. Dr.

...