Suicide Among Black Americans (IN: Identifying Suicide Potential, ed. by D B Anderson and L J McLean)

Among the black populations, overt suicide is not common. Therapeutic work with black patients evidences more self-destructive or self-inimical behavior than suicidal thoughts, impulses, or depressive statements. Suicidal gestures give rise to denial or rationalization. Unexpressed rage is turned against the black self, often resulting in self-neglect, self-defeat, self debasement and self-destruction which is statistically recorded as death due to accident or homicide.(LH)