TRUMBULL COUNTY, OH - The Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board is working to raise awareness about what it's calling an alarming trend among Black children.

In Ohio, Black children are twice as likely to die by suicide than their white counterparts.

The Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board says a recent Trumbull County Pride Survey found the thought of suicide among 6th and 8th-grade students increased by 10 percent from 2019 to 2022.

They believe the pandemic is partially to blame.

"A lot of socialization that would usually happen, was completely interrupted. Now children have had to learn how to function again within a classroom. I would say social media has played a huge role," Carol Holmes-Chambers, TMHRB Children's Program Coordinator, said.

ASAP and the county's suicide prevention coalition are working on an anti-stigma campaign with barber shops in Trumbull County to help.