by Carl C. Bell, M.D.

In her commentary today, Tell Me More host Michel Martin spoke about her brother's recent suicide. We've asked Dr. Carl Bell, the president and CEO of the Community Mental Health Council and author of The Sanity of Survival, to continue the conversation by blogging about the impact of suicide in communities of color.

Each year, out of every 100,000 Americans, it is estimated that 20,000 get depressed and 5,000 actually attempt suicide. But just 11 of those people complete suicide.

The suicide rates in African-American men are half those of European-American men, and trying to find out or predict the African-American male who is going to complete suicide is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Suicide is a tragic way to end life — a haunting specter never leaving the minds of surviving loved ones. To prevent suicide, in addition to seeking those at-risk, the focus must shift to finding out what is protecting the depressed and suicide attempters from completing suicide, because protective factors DO exist. Among them are the cultivation of social fabric, solid relationships, self-esteem, social and emotional skills, a feeling of safety and protection, a minimization of trauma and modern psychiatric treatment.

Relatives of suicide victims can battle this tragic helplessness by taking action to increase awareness, support and prevention efforts in communities of color.