We all see countless stats showing non-whites are poorer, more likely in jail, unemployed, underserved etc etc ad nauseam. Even as a white person myself, it tends to make me lose hope that equality for all is achievable. I'm more than aware that I'd feel this much more keenly if I were on the receiving end of the racial disparity.
So it surprised me quite a bit when digging into another topic when I found a stat I would never have imagined. The rate for suicides in the US is MUCH lower for minorities than for whites. Significantly less than half.
Most recent figures I can find has whites at 12.1/100k, blacks at 5.1 and all non-whites 5.5. The male/female ratio of 4+:1 holds across races.
http://www.suicide.org/suicide-statistics.html#2005Now of course no suicide rate is positive in itself, but the lesser rate amongst those who have higher rates of many of the proximal causes of suicide must tell us something we could use to bring down overall rates. What is there whites can learn from minorities here? Better coping mechanisms? Better external support from family or community? Mental health techniques? How come groups that face, on average, much more potentially suicide-inducing stressors like financial insecurity and antagonism from others, have a much lower rate of suicide?