The suicide crisis among young Black and Latino Chicagoans demands action
From 2015 to 2021, there was a 19% increase in suicides by Black females and a 24% percent increase by Latino males, according to University of Chicago researchers.
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While many people in Chicago face challenges to their mental health, some groups have been impacted differently than others. Findings from our new study published in the American Journal of Public Health confirm that Black and Latino Chicagoans are dying by suicide earlier than white and Asian groups across the city.
We analyzed data from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s archive that tracked all suicide deaths in Cook County from 2015 to 2021. Earlier articles published in local outlets like the Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ and the Chicago Tribune have highlighted racial differences in suicide among Cook County residents generally, though we designed our study to focus on suicide deaths in the city of Chicago. We felt that narrowing our analysis would allow us to target local policies that directly impact those living within city limits.
We found that between 2015 and 2021, suicide rates increased 12% among Asian females, 9% among Black males, 19% among Black females, and 24% among Latino males. White females (-4%) and white males (-2%) were the only groups to experience statistically significant decreases in suicide during this time. Still, the suicide rate for white males remains higher than all other groups at 18 per 100,000 in 2021.
There are also notable differences by age. Asian Chicagoans, with an average age of 42, and white Chicagoans, with an average age of 48, were often older when they died by suicide. Decedents who were Black and Latino typically skewed younger, as both groups had an average age of 38. A greater proportion of suicide deaths occurred among Black (10.4%) and Latino (7.8%) children and adolescents. Conversely, less than 3% of suicides among Asian and white individuals occurred among persons younger than 20.
Among adolescents aged 15 to 19, we saw a 21% increase in suicides in Black males and a 77% increase in Black females. Notably, the youngest person to die by suicide in Chicago across this time span was an 8-year-old Black boy.
Reopen mental health centers, address bias in social work licensing
Our results have direct implications for local policies on mental health care access. First, we must consider how the closure of half of the city’s 12 public mental health facilities may have had a disproportionate impact on communities already in need: Four of the six closed centers were located in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods. Local efforts like the Treatment Not Trauma campaign, led by the Collaborative for Community Wellness, have been instrumental in advocating for the reopening of city-run mental health centers to meet the increasing demand for treatment.
Second, with Black and Latino youth and young adults ending their lives at younger ages, there is a need for early intervention, through schools and community-based clinics, that is cost-effective and accessible to families. This includes equipping parents and family members with mental health resources and hiring more clinical staff in local schools.
Despite the city’s glaring need for more well-trained and culturally attuned mental health professionals, structural barriers like the licensed clinical social work exam have prevented social workers from receiving the licensure required to practice independently. A national report from 2022 found that less than half of Black applicants passed the exam on the first try, compared to more than 80% of white social workers who passed on their first attempt. Black social workers report facing racial bias throughout the examination process, which in turn limits the number of Black licensed clinical social workers available to provide therapeutic services both locally and nationally.
To close this gap, Chicago-based clinical social workers Cassandra Walker and Brit Holmberg developed a state bill proposing an alternative path to licensure that would allow persons who did not pass the exam on their first try to gain an additional 3,000 hours of clinical practice experience before obtaining their full license. This bill became law in January 2024.
Both of these local policy changes are helpful in reiterating the need for systems-level changes in the city’s approach to administering mental health services, particularly for Black and Latino residents. Further, intentional collaborations between clinicians, researchers, city leaders, community members and suicide survivors can help develop culturally grounded services that account for the unique mental health issues faced by Black and Latino Chicagoans. Together, these efforts have the potential to truly change lives while improving access to mental health treatment for all in need.
Janelle Goodwill, Ph.D., is a Neubauer Family Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Rachel Baccile is a senior research analyst at the University of Chicago’s Center for Health and the Social Sciences.
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