Black men are dying from a mental health crisis that too often goes unseen.
As deaths from suicide, overdoses and alcohol abuse rise among Black Americans, experts warn that cultural expectations around masculinity, mistrust of mental health systems and a shortage of Black providers are preventing many men from getting help before it is too late.
In the waning days of the pandemic, the U.S. saw deaths from suicide, alcohol use and drug overdoses — often called “deaths of despair” — among Black Americans surpass those among whites for the first time. Between 2013 and 2022, the rates of these deaths tripled among Black Americans.
The painful numbers
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that nearly twice as many people died by suicide in 2023 as were killed by homicide. Suicide was the second-leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 34 and the fourth-leading cause of death among those ages 35 to 44.
That same year, the suicide rate among males was nearly four times higher than among females, with Black men also four times more likely to die by suicide than Black women.
Among younger Black men, the trajectory is especially troubling.
University of Georgia researchers last year found that childhood exposure to trauma, poverty and racism leads many young Black men to believe they do not have value and cannot trust community support systems. Between 2007 and 2020, the suicide rate among Black youth ages 10 to 17 nearly tripled, rising faster than that of any other racial or ethnic group.
Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death among people ages 20 to 24. For Black men in the same age group, however, the suicide rate surpassed that of their white peers in 2024 — a troubling historical first.
Playing tough can be fatal
Traditional definitions of masculinity — stoic, self-reliant and emotionally controlled — have been found to increase the likelihood that men of all ages will avoid seeking professional help. Researchers say those men often fear being judged as weak, a perception that raises stress and contributes to untreated depression and anxiety.
In 2023, just 17% of American men saw a mental health professional, roughly half the rate of women. Among men who said they were depressed, only one in four received counseling or therapy during the previous year.
Black adults, however, were 36% less likely to have received mental health treatment during the previous year, even though they experienced similar or higher rates of anxiety and depression than whites.
In a newly released report, the JED Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting emotional health and preventing suicide among teens and young adults, found that boys are socialized from an early age to internalize their emotions rather than express them.
The report, titled “The Emotional Lives of Boys and Young Men,” found that when distress surfaces, it often looks very different from the depression and inactivity commonly seen in girls and young women.
Instead, according to the report, boys and young men are more likely to disguise their distress by withdrawing, displaying anger or aggression, or engaging in risky behaviors such as reckless driving, substance abuse, compulsive gambling or unsafe sexual activity.
At the same time, online environments such as video games and social media can be a double-edged sword, according to the report.
“Digital environments can amplify both harmful and supportive pathways, with opportunities for humor, distraction and connection,” the report states. But they can also provide “exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, and gambling and sports betting.”
Black provider shortage
While research indicates that having a caregiver of the same race and gender can be beneficial, Black practitioners remain a small minority across the mental health profession. Only 4% of psychologists are Black. Just 2% of psychiatrists are Black, and only 11% of licensed professional counselors are Black.
Research has also shown that peer-support groups can be effective in communities that face limited access to mental health professionals as well as mistrust of clinical settings.
Organizations such as JED have launched partnerships with fraternal organizations in an effort to reverse these trends. Last month, JED announced a partnership with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. as part of its Greek-letter organization initiatives.
“The JED Foundation recognizes that fraternities and sororities are powerful communities for connection, leadership and identity development,” Dr. ShirDonna Lawrence, senior manager of JED Greek-letter organizations, said in a statement. “This makes them essential partners in advancing student mental health and well-being on and off campus.”
The partnership is intended to be mutually beneficial.
“It strengthens Alpha’s enduring mission and advances JED’s work in culturally responsive, community-centered mental health promotion,” Lawrence said.