Suicide and The Poverty of Purpose (op-ed)
I was the only black student in my sociology discussion group. Unfortunately that was the same year The Bell Curve was published. (A scientific study that claimed Blacks had lower IQ’s than Whites.) Most of my classmates were appalled by the study. But they never disagreed with the premise they just blamed the results on poverty and racism.
Then we discussed suicide.
My classmates assumed the highest suicide rates existed among poor depressed people. (And they assumed racism in America made Blacks poor and depressed.) But they were shocked to discover that suicide rates were low among Blacks and the highest rates were among the affluent.
But something alarming has changed in the past two decades.
A recent study (Suicide Trends among Elementary School-Age Children in the United States published by JAMA Pediatrics 5-18-15) revealed that suicide is the leading cause of death among children younger than 12, and the number of black children (mostly boys) under 12 that have committed suicide doubled from 1993 to 2012.
The study stated: To our knowledge, this is the first national study to observe higher suicide rates among US black individuals compared with white individuals. (In other words this is a historic first.)
Why has this happened now?
The study stated black children may experience disproportionate exposure to violence, traumatic stress, and aggressive school discipline. Black children are also more likely to experience an early onset of puberty, which increases the risk of suicide … Black youth are also less likely to seek help for depression … Nevertheless, it remains unclear if any of these factors are related to increasing suicide rates.
And since it remains unclear other experts have been consulted for clarification. One expert suggested warning signs displayed by black boys may go unnoticed because their depression is mischaracterized as anger and, of course, another expert automatically mentioned poverty. (Condition where people’s basic need for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met, and according to this definition, combined with a global perspective, one would have to ask is there poverty in America?)
When poverty was mentioned I remembered it was dismissed as a leading cause of suicide in my sociology discussion group. Then that discussion turned into the causes of depression for the wealthy. As my classmates toyed with the concept that wealth doesn’t purchase happiness, and other text book theories, I had my first out of text book experience. I wondered if social science was actually science. What made me wonder? Theories for suicide can’t be tested and depression can’t be dissected in a laboratory. Then I wondered if there was a definition of poverty outside of the field of economics. As my classmates babbled on about happiness I wondered if there was such a thing as the poverty of purpose. (It wasn’t in the text book.)
Now if one’s purpose from childhood was to attain the lifestyle associated with the American dream and once that is achieved as an adult what’s left? Is this when people seriously seek answers to the ageless question: Why am I here?
Is this what children under 12 have in common with the affluent? Neither are preoccupied with making a living, which seems to give purpose to everyone else. Is it possible that the affluent return to unanswered questions of their childhood before they got preoccupied? If that’s the case then maybe it’s important to determine at what age children begin to question the purpose of life.
But a co-author of the suicide study said, “I want pediatricians to start asking about suicide.” The co-author also suggested ways parents could bring up the topic. The parent could say, “I really care about your safety. Sometimes when kids get sad, they think about killing themselves. Are you feeling like that today?”
Instead of this overdramatic line of questioning wouldn’t it be better to ask children, especially black boys, their thoughts, if any, on the purpose of life. Because when measured against eternity a single life span is an eye blink, and if eyes are windows to the soul, when black boys between the ages of 5-11 look into the mirror what does their reflection ask of them?
First published in the New Pittsburgh Courier 6/3/15
Then we discussed suicide.
My classmates assumed the highest suicide rates existed among poor depressed people. (And they assumed racism in America made Blacks poor and depressed.) But they were shocked to discover that suicide rates were low among Blacks and the highest rates were among the affluent.
But something alarming has changed in the past two decades.
A recent study (Suicide Trends among Elementary School-Age Children in the United States published by JAMA Pediatrics 5-18-15) revealed that suicide is the leading cause of death among children younger than 12, and the number of black children (mostly boys) under 12 that have committed suicide doubled from 1993 to 2012.
The study stated: To our knowledge, this is the first national study to observe higher suicide rates among US black individuals compared with white individuals. (In other words this is a historic first.)
Why has this happened now?
The study stated black children may experience disproportionate exposure to violence, traumatic stress, and aggressive school discipline. Black children are also more likely to experience an early onset of puberty, which increases the risk of suicide … Black youth are also less likely to seek help for depression … Nevertheless, it remains unclear if any of these factors are related to increasing suicide rates.
And since it remains unclear other experts have been consulted for clarification. One expert suggested warning signs displayed by black boys may go unnoticed because their depression is mischaracterized as anger and, of course, another expert automatically mentioned poverty. (Condition where people’s basic need for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met, and according to this definition, combined with a global perspective, one would have to ask is there poverty in America?)
When poverty was mentioned I remembered it was dismissed as a leading cause of suicide in my sociology discussion group. Then that discussion turned into the causes of depression for the wealthy. As my classmates toyed with the concept that wealth doesn’t purchase happiness, and other text book theories, I had my first out of text book experience. I wondered if social science was actually science. What made me wonder? Theories for suicide can’t be tested and depression can’t be dissected in a laboratory. Then I wondered if there was a definition of poverty outside of the field of economics. As my classmates babbled on about happiness I wondered if there was such a thing as the poverty of purpose. (It wasn’t in the text book.)
Now if one’s purpose from childhood was to attain the lifestyle associated with the American dream and once that is achieved as an adult what’s left? Is this when people seriously seek answers to the ageless question: Why am I here?
Is this what children under 12 have in common with the affluent? Neither are preoccupied with making a living, which seems to give purpose to everyone else. Is it possible that the affluent return to unanswered questions of their childhood before they got preoccupied? If that’s the case then maybe it’s important to determine at what age children begin to question the purpose of life.
But a co-author of the suicide study said, “I want pediatricians to start asking about suicide.” The co-author also suggested ways parents could bring up the topic. The parent could say, “I really care about your safety. Sometimes when kids get sad, they think about killing themselves. Are you feeling like that today?”
Instead of this overdramatic line of questioning wouldn’t it be better to ask children, especially black boys, their thoughts, if any, on the purpose of life. Because when measured against eternity a single life span is an eye blink, and if eyes are windows to the soul, when black boys between the ages of 5-11 look into the mirror what does their reflection ask of them?
First published in the New Pittsburgh Courier 6/3/15
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