SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) – Louisiana counselors are calling for more resources after a recent study revealed suicide rates among Black youth increased 71% throughout the past decade.
Charmane Williams, who led the research, says the younger generation lacks the value of life, playing a role in poor mental health.
“People don’t have the resilience that they used to have. They’re not generally as strong, and they don’t have that coping capacity,” said Dr. Charmaine Williams, professor in public administration and public policy at the Nelson Mandela College of Government and Social Sciences at Southern University.
Mental health issues follow students to college
The study says kids from the ages of 5 to 18 are impacted by poor mental health. Those problems can follow into adulthood. More Black students at Centenary College are seeking help.
“So it does make sense that college age students would have those unresolved and unprocessed things kind of follow them and impact them in a potentially negative way,” said Jamie Wells, director of counseling and health information at Centenary College.
Multiple factors contribute to crisis
A therapist from the Center for Children and Families says external factors like high social media use, cyberbullying, racial inequality, and poverty can cause poor mental health. However, there can also be problems inside the home.
Generational trauma, mistrust towards therapy, and communication issues within the family are factors also impacting a child’s mental health. The Center says they’re also seeing more referrals in the Black community.
“I think that we all have to come together as a community and kind of bridge that gap in different areas. Like we could definitely provide to mental health needs, but we need someone to help provide the financial backing that we can’t as a counseling agency,” said Ashley June, regional director at the Center for Children and Families.
Right now, there is no legislation added to combat the increasing suicide rates, but counselors agree more resources are needed to understand this special demographic.
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