'Suicide should never be an option': Dealing with rising rates among Black people in Ohio

Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch
Updated ·4 min read
Denise Holcomb, left, and her son, Derrick Cummings, in 2002. Derrick died by suicide on Aug. 8, 2003, less than three weeks shy of his 31st birthday.
Denise Holcomb, left, and her son, Derrick Cummings, in 2002. Derrick died by suicide on Aug. 8, 2003, less than three weeks shy of his 31st birthday.

When Denise Holcomb is asked what she misses the most about her son, Derrick Cummings, she replies that she misses seeing the man that she knows he could've been.

Cummings, who died by suicide in August 2003, when he was 30 years old, was Holcomb's support and the man with whom she said she could always talk. The former U.S. Marine was forced to leave the military after suffering an injury, Holcomb said, and that dealt a huge blow to him. He turned to alcohol to cope with what she believes was clinical depression and didn't seek help.

He told himself 'I'm a Marine, I'm strong and I'll be OK,'" Holcomb recalled. "Suicide should never be an option."

Derrick Cummings died by suicide August 8, 2003. His mother, Denise Holcomb, founded Removing the Stigma 10 years later to address suicide in the Black community and to encourage people to seek help.
Derrick Cummings died by suicide August 8, 2003. His mother, Denise Holcomb, founded Removing the Stigma 10 years later to address suicide in the Black community and to encourage people to seek help.

Suicide rates among Blacks increasing in Ohio and nationally

As more clinicians, mental health professionals and advocacy groups bring attention to the issue of suicide, clinicians and therapists are also raising awareness on the rising number of suicides among African Americans in Ohio and nationwide.

Nationwide, there was a 3.6% increase in the number of African-American suicide deaths from 2021 to 2022, according to the latest available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

From 2019 to 2020, the suicide rate for Black male Ohioans, increased by 8% to 18.3 Black males per 100,000 in 2020, according to the latest data from the Ohio Department of Health. For Black females, the suicide rate during that time period increased 14%, to 3.2 per 100,000 population.

In Franklin County, the suicide rate for African Americans has gone up and down. For 2022, it was 8.7 per 100,000 people, according to data from the Franklin County Coroner's Office.

Research on suicide also shows that Black males are increasingly using firearms to carry out and complete suicides, while Black females are more likely to attempt suicide. Black males in Franklin County overwhelmingly took their own lives with firearms. In 2019, 73 of the 125 Black male Ohioans who took their own lives used a firearm. In 2020, that number increased to 80 firearm suicides, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Denise Holcomb and her son, Derrick Cummings, right before he graduated high school. Derrick died by suicide at age 30 in August 2003.
Denise Holcomb and her son, Derrick Cummings, right before he graduated high school. Derrick died by suicide at age 30 in August 2003.

A decade after Derrick's suicide, Holcomb founded Removing The Stigma, a Cleveland-based nonprofit mental health organization whose mission is to educate, empower and offer hope to people struggling with thoughts of suicide.

Holcomb, who has struggled with her own mental health since she was a child, said she wants to show the Black community that mental health issues are not a sign of weakness — and that help is available.

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Gov. Mike DeWine announced earlier this year the Black Youth and Young Adults Suicide Prevention Initiative, a statewide endeavor to bring down Black youth suicides across the state. The initiative aims to do this by "increasing access to high-quality, culturally responsive prevention and early intervention services that work to reduce risk and strengthen protective factors."

The initiative also allotted $500,000 to the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation to bolster efforts to reduce suicide among Black youth and reduce stigma. The project mainly focuses on youth between the ages of 10-24 who live in Franklin, Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Lucas, Montgomery, Muskingum and Summit counties.

“Suicide is devastating for those left behind, including family members, loved ones, friends, and communities,” DeWine said in a news release announcing the initiative.

"Over the last several years, national and state data has shown a troubling increase in suicide rates among Black children and young adults. Every single loss is significant and tragic, which is why our hope with this initiative is to strengthen supports for our young people and help them build the resiliency needed to reach their full, God-given potential.”

Here are some suicide prevention resources

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or is in immediate crisis, you can reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by texting or calling 988.

Youths 17 and younger can get help by calling Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus at 614-722-1800.

Franklin County ADAMH can direct people to mental health services through its network of community partners by reaching out to the agency online or calling (614) 224-1057.

Life Is Better With You Here, part of the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, also has a plethora of resources for suicide prevention specifically for Black Ohioans who may be struggling. In addition to a podcast, they also have a YouTube channel discussing different aspects of mental health.

smeighan@dispatch.com

@ShahidMeighan

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Experts discuss rising suicide rates in the Black community