North Carolina Rolls Out $12M Plan To Tackle Growing Black Youth Suicide Crisis

North Carolina health officials started a five-year push to stop the rise in suicides among Black youth. The work targets 17 counties where young people face the highest risks.

Recent numbers paint a stark picture. In 2024, nearly 17% of Black teens in high school and 37% of Black middle schoolers thought about ending their lives. The risk peaks at age 24, with young Black girls questioning their identity, showing the most attempts.

"The myth that Black people don't die by suicide has been dangerous," said Bettie Murchison, according to NC Newsline. "We've had to fight against that in our families, in our churches, and in our schools."

The state turns to trusted community members for help. Local barbershops and churches now offer mental health support to young people who need it.

At The Bar Ber Shop in Raleigh, owner Reggie Winston, 41, watches for signs his young clients might be struggling. "Once they get comfortable and start trusting you with their haircut, they start trusting you with their mind and their heart," Winston said to NC Newsline.

Winston built Grooming Resources and Opportunities to educate barbers about recognizing signs of depression. Working with counselor Rodney Harris, he's trained a dozen barbers across three cities this year in mental health first aid.

The crisis hits hardest in Durham, Wake, and Johnston counties. These areas see the most deaths and calls to the 988 Crisis Hotline.

Officials split the work into six parts: teaching communities, making mental health care better, training more people to help, keeping deadly items away from youth, adding safety nets, and studying patterns to meet needs.

Marie Buggs, who lost her 11-year-old son Christopher, now works with suicide prevention groups. "Sometimes people who do have mental illness, they know how to mask it," Buggs said per The News & Observer. "Especially kids, because they don't want to be different."

Rocky Mount will host the state's first meeting about Black youth suicide this month. Dr. Sonyia Richardson, who shaped the plan, thinks it could guide other states.

Help stays ready around the clock through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, with support in English and Spanish for anyone thinking about suicide.