NAMI Maryland reposted this
Doctor in Public Health in training | Executive Director, Centro SOL | Commissioner for Maryland's Commission on Suicide Prevention, Department of Health | Board Member at BHSB
It breaks my heart to review data on suicide, particularly seeing how much suicide rates have increased among youth. Let’s pause here to talk about something we cannot ignore any longer: gun suicide in the United States. According to the latest report by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions and the Center for Suicide Prevention at JH, gun suicides now account for more than half of all gun deaths in the U.S. And they are growing at an alarming rate!! (citation below) In the report, the authors found that for the third consecutive year, the number of gun suicide deaths has hit a record high. This is not just a statistic. These are lives in our communities, and the trends are especially devastating for our children and youth. 💔 Los niños y niñas menores de 17 años mueren casi el doble que otras edades por arma de fuego. That fact alone should shake us to our core. And it gets worse: Gun suicide rates among Black and Hispanic/Latino youth ages 10–19 have surged - the very same communities already impacted by systemic racism, under-resourced schools, discriminatory policing, and lack of access to culturally responsive mental health care. This report pulls no punches. It makes it painfully clear that: ➡️ Guns are the most lethal means of suicide, and their availability increases the risk of death exponentially. ➡️ Youth are especially vulnerable, and prevention requires upstream, multi-system efforts such as **reducing access to firearms during periods of crisis**. ➡️ We must treat gun suicide not just as a mental health issue, but as a public health crisis with racial and structural dimensions. I talked about this before. >>We cannot talk about youth suicide prevention without talking about guns. We cannot talk about public health without talking about safety, systems, and justice.<< Today, let’s spread some love to our youth 💕 📔 The report includes timely and urgent recommendations. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/e7m6Ph9Q We need prevention that protects our youth and addresses the root causes of youth suicide. [Citation] Kim, R., Wagner, E. D., Nestadt, P. S., Somayaji, N., Horwitz, J., & Crifasi, C. K. (2025). Gun Violence in the United States 2023: Examining the Gun Suicide Epidemic. Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, Johns Hopkins Center for Suicide Prevention. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. #SuicidePrevention #YouthMentalHealth #LatinxMentalHealth #BlackYouth #PublicHealth #HealthEquity #JohnsHopkinsPublicHealth #LatinxYouth