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October 27, 1989, Vol 262, No. 16 >
ARTICLE | October 27, 1989

Recent Trends in Suicide and Homicide Among Blacks FREE

Ezra E. H. Griffith, MD; Carl C. Bell, MD
[+] Author Affiliations

Reprint requests to Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, 34 Park St, New Haven, CT 06519 (Dr Griffith).


JAMA. 1989;262(16):2265-2269. doi:10.1001/jama.1989.03430160087036
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References

The black community contends daily with the phenomena of suicide and homicide. However, it is the killing of black males that constitutes the heaviest burden for the group. Black suicide rates, on the other hand, continue to be lower than white suicide rates. Nevertheless, it is the black male group between the ages of 25 and 34 years that bears the brunt of both suicide and homicide. This article reviews the major theories advanced to explain the existence of these serious public health problems in the black community, suggests ways of attacking these problems, and also delineates significant areas for future research.

(JAMA. 1989;262:2265-2269)

REFERENCES

1 +
Meredith N.  The murder epidemic . Science. 1984;;5:42-47.
2 +
Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Black and Minority Health . Washington, DC: Dept of Health and Human Services; 1985;;1. Publication PHS 0-487-637. Executive summary.
3 +
Gibbs JT.  Black adolescents and youth: an endangered species . Am J Orthopsychiatry. 1984;; 54:6-21.
4 +
Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1988 . 108th ed. Washington, DC: US Bureau of the Census; 1987;.
5 +
 Differences in death rates due to injury among blacks and whites, 1984 . JAMA. 1989;;261:214-216. Leads From the MMWR.
6 +
Holinger PC. Violent Deaths in the US: An Epidemiologic Study of Suicide, Homicide, and Accidents . New York, NY: Guilford Press; 1987;.
7 +
National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Statistics of the United States 1986, Volume II, Mortality, Part A . Washington, DC: Dept of Health and Human Services; 1988;. Publication PHS 88-1122.
8 +
Davis R.  Black suicide in the seventies: current trends . Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1979;;9:131-140.
9 +
Christian ER.  Black suicide . In: Hatton CL, Valente SM, Bink A, eds. Suicide: Assessment and Intervention . New York, NY: Appleton-Century Crofts; 1977;:143-159.
10 +
Jason J, Flock M, Tyler CW.  Epidemiologic characteristics of primary homicides in the United States . Am J Epidemiol. 1983;;117:419-428.
11 +
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States: 1986 . Washington, DC: US Dept of Justice; 1987;.
12 +
Homicide Surveillance: High-Risk Racial and Ethnic Groups—Blacks and Hispanics, 1970 to 1983 . Atlanta, Ga: Centers for Disease Control; 1986;.
13 +
Prudhomme C.  The problem of suicide in the American Negro . Psychoanal Rev. 1938;;25:374-391.
14 +
Hendin H.  Black suicide . Arch Gen Psychiatry . 1969;;21:401-422.
15 +
Seiden RH, Freitas RP.  Shifting patterns of deadly violence . Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1980;;10:195-209.
16 +
King LM.  Suicide from a 'black reality' perspective . In: Bass BA, Wyatt GE, Powell GJ, eds. The Afro-American Family: Assessment, Treatment, and Research Issues . New York, NY: Grune & Stratton; 1982;:221-236.
17 +
Bush JA.  Suicide and blacks: a conceptual framework . Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1976;;6:216-222.
18 +
Comer JP.  Black suicide: a hidden crisis . Urban Health. 1973;;2:41-44.
19 +
Committee on Cultural Psychiatry, Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry. Suicide and Ethnicity in the United States . New York, NY: Brunner/Mazel Inc. In press.
20 +
Dennis RE, Kirk A, Knuckles BN. Black Males at Risk to Low Life Expectancy: A Study of Homicide Victims and Perpetrators . Washington, DC: National Institute of Mental Health, Center for Studies of Minority Group Mental Health; 1981;.
21 +
Rose HM. Black Homicide and the Urban Environment . Washington, DC: National Institute of Mental Health; 1981;.
22 +
Wolfgang ME, Ferracuti F. The Subculture of Violence: Towards an Integrated Theory in Criminology . New York, NY: Methuen Inc; 1967;.
23 +
Willie CV. Black and White Families: A Study in Complementarity . Bayside, NY: General Hall Inc; 1985;.
24 +
Flango VE, Sherbonou EL.  Poverty, urbanization, and crime . Criminology. 1976;;14:331-346.
25 +
Williams KR.  Economic sources of homicide: reestimating the effects of poverty and inequality . Am Sociol Rev. 1984;;49:283-289.
26 +
Loftin C, Hill RH.  Regional subculture and homicide: an examination of the Gastil-Mackney thesis . Am Sociol Rev. 1974;;39:714-724.
27 +
University of California at Los Angeles, Centers for Disease Control. The Epidemiology of Homicide in the City of Los Angeles, 1970-1979 . Washington, DC: US Dept of Health and Human Services; 1985;.
28 +
Tardiff K.  Determinants of human violence . In: Hales RE, Frances AJ, eds. Psychiatric Update: The American Psychiatric Association Annual Review, Volume 6 . Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press Inc; 1987;:451-464.
29 +
Tardiff K.  Patterns and major determinants of homicide in the United States . Hosp Community Psychiatry. 1985;;36:632-639.
30 +
Hawkins DF.  Black and white homicide differentials: alternatives to an inadequate theory . In: Hawkins DF, ed. Homicide Among Black Americans . Lanham, Md: University Press of America; 1986;:109-136.
31 +
Centerwall BS.  Race, socioeconomic status and domestic homicide: Atlanta, 1971-72 . Am J Public Health. 1984;;74:813-815.
32 +
Lewis DO, Moy E, Jackson LD, et al.  Biopsychosocial characteristics of children who later murder: a prospective study . Am J Psychiatry. 1985;;142:1161-1167.
33 +
Lewis DO, Pincus JH, Feldman M, Jackson L, Bard B.  Psychiatric, neurological and psychoeducational characteristics of 15 death row inmates in the United States . Am J Psychiatry. 1986;;143:838-845.
34 +
Linnoila M, Virkkunen M, Scheinin M, Nuutila A, Rimon R, Goodwin FK.  Low cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentration differentiates impulsive from nonimpulsive violent behavior . Life Sci. 1983;;33:2609-2614.
35 +
Bell CC.  Coma and the etiology of violence, part 1 . J Natl Med Assoc. 1986;;78:1167-1176.
36 +
Bell CC, Thompson JP, Lewis D, Redd J, Shears M, Thompson B.  Misdiagnosis of alcohol-related organic brain syndromes: implications for treatment . In: Brisbane FL, Womble M, eds. Treatment of Black Alcoholics . New York, NY: Haworth Press Inc; 1985;:45-65.
37 +
Prescott JW.  Body pleasure and the origins of violence . Bull Atomic Scientists . (November) 1975;:10-20.
38 +
Bell CC.  Preventive strategies for dealing with violence among blacks . Community Mental Health J. 1987;;23:217-228.
39 +
Prothrow-Stith D. Violence Prevention Curricula for Adolescents . Newton, Mass: Educational Development Center; 1987;.
40 +
Jenkins EJ, Bell CC, Taylor J, Walker L.  Circumstances of sexual and physical victimization of black psychiatric outpatients . J Natl Med Assoc. 1989;;81:246-252.

Figures

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Interactive Graphics

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Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature

Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal

1 +
Meredith N.  The murder epidemic . Science. 1984;;5:42-47.
2 +
Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Black and Minority Health . Washington, DC: Dept of Health and Human Services; 1985;;1. Publication PHS 0-487-637. Executive summary.
3 +
Gibbs JT.  Black adolescents and youth: an endangered species . Am J Orthopsychiatry. 1984;; 54:6-21.
4 +
Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1988 . 108th ed. Washington, DC: US Bureau of the Census; 1987;.
5 +
 Differences in death rates due to injury among blacks and whites, 1984 . JAMA. 1989;;261:214-216. Leads From the MMWR.
6 +
Holinger PC. Violent Deaths in the US: An Epidemiologic Study of Suicide, Homicide, and Accidents . New York, NY: Guilford Press; 1987;.
7 +
National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Statistics of the United States 1986, Volume II, Mortality, Part A . Washington, DC: Dept of Health and Human Services; 1988;. Publication PHS 88-1122.
8 +
Davis R.  Black suicide in the seventies: current trends . Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1979;;9:131-140.
9 +
Christian ER.  Black suicide . In: Hatton CL, Valente SM, Bink A, eds. Suicide: Assessment and Intervention . New York, NY: Appleton-Century Crofts; 1977;:143-159.
10 +
Jason J, Flock M, Tyler CW.  Epidemiologic characteristics of primary homicides in the United States . Am J Epidemiol. 1983;;117:419-428.
11 +
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States: 1986 . Washington, DC: US Dept of Justice; 1987;.
12 +
Homicide Surveillance: High-Risk Racial and Ethnic Groups—Blacks and Hispanics, 1970 to 1983 . Atlanta, Ga: Centers for Disease Control; 1986;.
13 +
Prudhomme C.  The problem of suicide in the American Negro . Psychoanal Rev. 1938;;25:374-391.
14 +
Hendin H.  Black suicide . Arch Gen Psychiatry . 1969;;21:401-422.
15 +
Seiden RH, Freitas RP.  Shifting patterns of deadly violence . Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1980;;10:195-209.
16 +
King LM.  Suicide from a 'black reality' perspective . In: Bass BA, Wyatt GE, Powell GJ, eds. The Afro-American Family: Assessment, Treatment, and Research Issues . New York, NY: Grune & Stratton; 1982;:221-236.
17 +
Bush JA.  Suicide and blacks: a conceptual framework . Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1976;;6:216-222.
18 +
Comer JP.  Black suicide: a hidden crisis . Urban Health. 1973;;2:41-44.
19 +
Committee on Cultural Psychiatry, Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry. Suicide and Ethnicity in the United States . New York, NY: Brunner/Mazel Inc. In press.
20 +
Dennis RE, Kirk A, Knuckles BN. Black Males at Risk to Low Life Expectancy: A Study of Homicide Victims and Perpetrators . Washington, DC: National Institute of Mental Health, Center for Studies of Minority Group Mental Health; 1981;.
21 +
Rose HM. Black Homicide and the Urban Environment . Washington, DC: National Institute of Mental Health; 1981;.
22 +
Wolfgang ME, Ferracuti F. The Subculture of Violence: Towards an Integrated Theory in Criminology . New York, NY: Methuen Inc; 1967;.
23 +
Willie CV. Black and White Families: A Study in Complementarity . Bayside, NY: General Hall Inc; 1985;.
24 +
Flango VE, Sherbonou EL.  Poverty, urbanization, and crime . Criminology. 1976;;14:331-346.
25 +
Williams KR.  Economic sources of homicide: reestimating the effects of poverty and inequality . Am Sociol Rev. 1984;;49:283-289.
26 +
Loftin C, Hill RH.  Regional subculture and homicide: an examination of the Gastil-Mackney thesis . Am Sociol Rev. 1974;;39:714-724.
27 +
University of California at Los Angeles, Centers for Disease Control. The Epidemiology of Homicide in the City of Los Angeles, 1970-1979 . Washington, DC: US Dept of Health and Human Services; 1985;.
28 +
Tardiff K.  Determinants of human violence . In: Hales RE, Frances AJ, eds. Psychiatric Update: The American Psychiatric Association Annual Review, Volume 6 . Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press Inc; 1987;:451-464.
29 +
Tardiff K.  Patterns and major determinants of homicide in the United States . Hosp Community Psychiatry. 1985;;36:632-639.
30 +
Hawkins DF.  Black and white homicide differentials: alternatives to an inadequate theory . In: Hawkins DF, ed. Homicide Among Black Americans . Lanham, Md: University Press of America; 1986;:109-136.
31 +
Centerwall BS.  Race, socioeconomic status and domestic homicide: Atlanta, 1971-72 . Am J Public Health. 1984;;74:813-815.
32 +
Lewis DO, Moy E, Jackson LD, et al.  Biopsychosocial characteristics of children who later murder: a prospective study . Am J Psychiatry. 1985;;142:1161-1167.
33 +
Lewis DO, Pincus JH, Feldman M, Jackson L, Bard B.  Psychiatric, neurological and psychoeducational characteristics of 15 death row inmates in the United States . Am J Psychiatry. 1986;;143:838-845.
34 +
Linnoila M, Virkkunen M, Scheinin M, Nuutila A, Rimon R, Goodwin FK.  Low cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentration differentiates impulsive from nonimpulsive violent behavior . Life Sci. 1983;;33:2609-2614.
35 +
Bell CC.  Coma and the etiology of violence, part 1 . J Natl Med Assoc. 1986;;78:1167-1176.
36 +
Bell CC, Thompson JP, Lewis D, Redd J, Shears M, Thompson B.  Misdiagnosis of alcohol-related organic brain syndromes: implications for treatment . In: Brisbane FL, Womble M, eds. Treatment of Black Alcoholics . New York, NY: Haworth Press Inc; 1985;:45-65.
37 +
Prescott JW.  Body pleasure and the origins of violence . Bull Atomic Scientists . (November) 1975;:10-20.
38 +
Bell CC.  Preventive strategies for dealing with violence among blacks . Community Mental Health J. 1987;;23:217-228.
39 +
Prothrow-Stith D. Violence Prevention Curricula for Adolescents . Newton, Mass: Educational Development Center; 1987;.
40 +
Jenkins EJ, Bell CC, Taylor J, Walker L.  Circumstances of sexual and physical victimization of black psychiatric outpatients . J Natl Med Assoc. 1989;;81:246-252.

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