“I just can’t take it anymore,” she said. She was molested by her mother’s boyfriend from ages 9 to 12 and left home at 17. Now, she had two children and was pregnant with her third. No longer able to work because she was on bed rest because the pregnancy was high-risk, she struggled to provide for herself and her children. Her boyfriend was in and out of her life, and there was no one around to help her. She felt stuck and didn’t see a way out of the suffering.

While much needed attention has been given to homicide as the No. 1 cause of death among young black males, conversations about suicide — one of the top four leading causes of death among young black males — have been inadequate. From 2011 to 2017, deaths by suicide outpaced deaths by homicide among all people ages 10 to 24, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control.

Many of the risk factors for homicide are also risk factors for suicide. These include having a history of trauma, emotional distress, hopelessness, experiencing a significant loss, substance use, impulsivity, isolation, rejection and access to lethal weapons. For those who regularly interact with young people, aggressive behavior, impulsivity and substance use grab their attention rather than the quieter symptoms of depression. Depression goes unnoticed and untreated.

Black youths too often receive the messages that their lives are not valued and that they are less deserving of support, nurturing and protection than their peers of other backgrounds. Compared with white kids, they receive more detentions, suspensions and expulsions in school, have higher rates of arrests and incarceration, and fewer options for high-quality education and stable employment.

Many black youths are often fighting for their lives in a system actively working against them, which can be exhausting and feel like a pointless, uphill battle.

My friend went to check on his brother, and when he got there his brother said he was “fine.” He did not go to the emergency room or get outpatient mental health treatment as I had suggested.

While family support is critical in mental health problems, it is not enough when someone has persistent thoughts of death. Nonetheless, it is not unusual for people to minimize symptoms of mental illness, think the problem will get better on its own or be reluctant to seek treatment because of the stigma and shame. This delay in seeking treatment allows symptoms to become chronic, severe and debilitating.