The death by suicide of DJ, actor, dancer, father of three and all-around nice guy Stephen “tWitch” Boss has alarmed and saddened a nation. Not long before his death, tWitch and his wife, Allison Holker, were celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary and posting fun dance videos on social media. Theirs seemed a charmed life of goofiness and love. Perhaps that’s why the news that tWitch died by suicide is so shocking to many: He did not fit any of the many unhelpful stereotypes of individuals who take their own lives.
Over the course of my career, I have met with people of all ages, races and life backgrounds who have contemplated taking their own lives. I can attest that there is no one type of person who attempts or dies by suicide. With 47,646 deaths by suicide last year, it is one of the leading causes of death. Men and minorities are particularly vulnerable. Seeking help is often seen as a sign of weakness, a source of shame, and not spoken about publicly. Among Black populations, suicide rates peak during adolescence and young adulthood. The suicide death rate for men is more than three times the rate for women in Black populations. Of particular concern are Black youth; among high-school-age children, a higher percentage of Black youth have attempted suicide in the past year than the overall U.S. population.
TWitch was like so many individuals in our community that we meet every day: The exterior calm and joy he presented in public masked deeper struggles. Often, we cannot guess what someone might be dealing with. When it comes to talking about suicide, we continue to see a rash of public commentary questioning the “need to die” as seemingly everything was “perfect.”
