Findings from the National Survey of American Life show more suicide attempts by black Americans than previously thought.
Surveying more than 5000 adults from African-American and Caribbean American backgrounds, the study found that 4.1 percent have tried to commit suicide at least once during their lifetime and that 11.7 percent have contemplated it. Suicide rates were highest among Caribbean American black men, at 7.5 percent.
These findings contradict both misconceptions that suicide is rare among blacks as well as past research that showed blacks to be less prone to suicide than whites.
Read more: Blacks not less prone to suicide, study says
ABSTRACT: Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Lifetime Suicide Attempts Among Blacks in the United States
Related: U.S. Suicide Rates Decline Dramatically