Feds Struggle with Problem of Indian Suicides 

The suicide rates for American Indians and Alaskan Natives ages 15 to 24 are three times the nation’s average, according to U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona. It is estimated that there are 13 nonfatal attempts for every fatality. This article from the Casper Star Tribune examines these statistics and talks to members of tribes in the High Plains area of the country about mental health services, access to those services, and the association of suicide with alcohol.

++++++++++

Native American Youth in Transition

A new study from the national Indian Child Welfare Association examines Native American youth ages 16-24 in the Skokomish Tribal Nation and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe. The study finds that in general, these young people are worse off then their peers – their homes are more violent, crowded and poorer;

• Their health is poorer and teen birth rates are higher; and
• They are less likely to have completed high school or college.
• The study also had some good news: rates of alcohol abuse among Native Americans are declining.

About 100 pages. Downloadable.

++++++++++

Native Youth Killing Themselves

The Cheyenne River reservation in South Dakota experienced a staggering 17 youth suicides in 2002-03, with an average of five attempts per week. In this community everyone knows at least one of the teenagers who tried – or succeeded – in taking their own lives. Some of the suicides were young men who had made a suicide pact with one another. They drew numbers, and decided to hang themselves in that order. Their families found them, often hanging in their homes, as their number came up.

• According to recent studies American-Indian teens are more than twice as likely as other teens to kill themselves.
• Native teens and young adults, 15 to 24 years old, are three times as likely to kill themselves.
• A study published in 2004 in Trends in Indian Health said that suicide has become a community problem as “suicide clusters” occur.