Mental and Behavioral Health in Black/African Americans

In 2023, suicide was the third leading cause of death for Black or African Americans ages 15 to 34.1
Non-Hispanic Black or African Americans reported experiencing major depressive episodes 74% as frequently as the total population in 2024.2
In 2024, Non-Hispanic Black or African Americans received mental health treatment through prescription medication at 52% the rate of the total population.3

For more information and resources on mental health, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website.

Looking for curated searches on mental health within minority and tribal populations, including Black/African American populations, in the United States and its territories? Check out the OMH Knowledge Center Topic Guides.

Mental health status

Serious psychological distress in the past year among persons ages 18 and over, percentage, 2024
Non-Hispanic Black	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
12.2	13.9	0.88

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 2025. Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables. Table 6.88B. For the definition of “serious psychological distress,” see Appendix A.

Serious psychological distress in the past 30 days among adults ages 18 and over, percentage of poverty level, 2015–2016
	Non-Hispanic Black	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
Below 100%	7.6	9.3	0.82
100% - less than 199%	3.9	5.8	0.67
200% - less than 399%	2.8	2.5	1.12

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2019. Health United States, 2017. Table 46. For the definition of “serious psychological distress,” see Appendix.

Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, or that everything is an effort, all or most of the time, among persons ages 18 and over, percentage, 2018
	Non-Hispanic Black	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
Sadness	4.2	3.0	1.40
Hopelessness	1.8	2.3	0.78
Worthlessness	1.7	2.3	0.74
Everything is an effort	10.9	7.3	1.49

Source: CDC, 2021. Summary Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey: 2018. Table A-7c. For the explanation of response categories, see footnote 1 to Table A-7c.

Major depressive episode in the past year among persons ages 18 and over, percentage, 2024
Non-Hispanic Black	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
6.1	8.2	0.74

Source: SAMHSA, 2025. Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables. Table 6.41B. For the definition of “major depressive episode,” see Appendix A.

Any mental illness in the past year among persons ages 18 and over, percentage, 2024
Non-Hispanic Black	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
20.9	23.4	0.89

Source: SAMHSA, 2025. Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables. Table 6.7B. For the definition of “any mental illness,” see Appendix A.

Death rates

Age-adjusted death rates for suicide by sex, race, and Hispanic origin, 2022
	Non-Hispanic Black	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
Male	14.9	23.0	0.65
Female	3.5	5.9	0.59
Total	8.9	14.2	0.63

Source: CDC, 2025. Deaths: Final Data for 2022. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 74, No. 4. Table 11.

Suicide rates by age, race, and Hispanic origin, 2019: Males
	Non-Hispanic Black Males	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
15–24 years	18.3	22.0	0.83
25–44 years	20.0	28.0	0.71
45–64 years	11.9	29.9	0.40
65 years and over	8.9	31.7	0.28
All ages, age adjusted	12.5	22.4	0.56

Source: CDC, 2023. Health, United States, 2020–2021. Table SuicMort.

Suicide rates by age, race, and Hispanic origin, 2019: Females
	Non-Hispanic Black Females	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
15–24 years	4.4	5.5	0.80
25–44 years	4.5	7.4	0.61
45-64 years	3.0	9.6	0.31
65 years and over	1.3	5.2	0.25
All ages, age adjusted	2.9	6.0	0.48

Source: CDC, 2023. Health, United States, 2020–2021. Table SuicMort.

Adolescents

Death rates for suicide: ages 15–19, 2022
	Non-Hispanic Black	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
Male	14.8	13.9	1.06
Female	5.3	4.7	1.28
Both Sexes	10.1	9.5	1.06

Source: CDC. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). National Violent Death Reporting System. Violent Deaths Report.

Students in grades 9–12 who seriously considered attempting suicide in the past 12 months, percentage, 2023
	Non-Hispanic Black	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
Male	11.6	14.1	0.82
Female	27.7	27.1	1.02
Total	19.6	20.4	0.96

Source: CDC, 2024. High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. High School Students Who Seriously Considered Attempting Suicide, 2023.

Students in grades 9–12 who attempted suicide in the past 12 months, percentage, 2023
	Non-Hispanic Black	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
Male	7.4	6.4	1.16
Female	13.4	12.6	1.06
Total	10.3	9.5	1.08

Source: CDC, 2024. High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. High School Students Who Actually Attempted Suicide, 2023.

Access to healthcare

Adults ages 18 and over who received mental health treatment in the past year, percentage, 2024
Non-Hispanic Black	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
14.7	22.9	0.64

Source: SAMHSA, 2025. Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables. Table 6.21B.

Adults ages 18 and over who received mental health treatment through prescription medication, percentage, 2024
Non-Hispanic Black	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
8.7	16.7	0.52

Source: SAMHSA, 2025. Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables. Table 6.25B.

Adults ages 18 and over with a major depressive episode in the past year who received treatment for depression, percentage, 2024
Non-Hispanic Black	Total Population	Non-Hispanic Black / Total Population Ratio
52.1	64.4	0.81

Source: SAMHSA, 2025. Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables. Table 6.43B. For the definition of “major depressive episode,” see Appendix A.

1 CDC. Web Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Leading Causes of Death (Back to top)

2 SAMHSA, 2025. Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables. Table 6.41B (Back to top)

3 SAMHSA, 2025. Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables. Table 6.25B. (Back to top)

Date Last Reviewed: September 2025