Suicide Prevention Doesn't End When September Does

September carries the label, but for the communities we sit with most — BIPOC folks and our elders — the risk doesn't clock out at the end of the month. It shows up quietly, in silence that gets mistaken for strength, and in stress that gets mistaken for just "how it is."

In Our Communities

We don't always talk about suicide as a Black and Brown issue. But the data says we have to. Indigenous adults report serious thoughts of suicide at nearly double the rate of the general U.S. population — 8.5% compared to 4.8%. And while depression is reported less often in Black and Hispanic communities than in white communities, it tends to linger longer once it takes hold — often because it goes untreated, unnamed, or unspoken.

Even when we do reach out, the system doesn't always meet us with care. When Black individuals call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, they're disproportionately funneled toward law enforcement rather than clinical support — over half of those calls are escalated to an "active rescue" involving 911. That's not just a statistic. That's a reason so many of us hesitate to ask for help in the first place.

Our Elders, in Their Latter Years

We don't talk enough about our seniors either. Adults 75 and older now have the highest suicide rate of any age group in the country — a fact that often gets lost under louder headlines about younger generations. In 2022 alone, suicide deaths among people 65 and older rose more than twice as fast as the national average, accounting for roughly 1 in 5 suicides in the U.S. that year.

A lot of it comes down to something simple and heartbreaking: being left behind by time. Nearly one in three women over 60 report feeling lonely often — many after losing a spouse, watching children move on, and finding themselves cut off from the world they used to know. And when our elders do reach a breaking point, they're far more likely to die from it — about 1 in 4 attempts among seniors ends in death, compared to roughly 1 in 200 among young adults.

And Then, There's Money

We can't talk about this season honestly without talking about finances. The holidays bring joy — and they bring the bill. Research shows that people carrying financial debt, job loss, past homelessness, or persistent low income are up to 20 times more likely to attempt suicide than those without those strains. Even something as specific as falling behind on a mortgage payment has been linked to a 40% increase in suicide risk — and losing a car or asset to repossession nearly doubles it.

For a lot of our clients — especially Black women holding down households, and elders on fixed incomes — financial strain isn't a once-a-year holiday stressor. It's a quiet weight carried all year, that just gets heavier in November and December.

What This Means for Us

This isn't about scaring you. It's about seeing what's really there. Culturally, we've been taught to carry it, pray on it, and keep moving. And sometimes that's exactly what gets us through. But strength was never supposed to mean silence. Check on your elders — really check. Check on your strong friend. Check on yourself, even when you're the one everyone else leans on.

If you or someone you love is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 — call or text 988.

Sources: Crisis Text Line, iCarol, CDC/MMWR, The SCAN Foundation, AARP/National Council on Aging, Duke Health.