On May 17, 2006, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held its third hearing on suicide among American Indian and Alaska Native youth (see The Source, 3/17/06 and The Source, 6/17/2005).
Deputy Bureau Director for Tribal Services in the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Jerry Gidner confirmed the disproportionately high rate of suicide among American Indian youth: “It is the third leading case of death in Indian children age 5 to 14, and the second leading case of death in Indian teenagers and young adults age 15 to 24. In addition, the Indian Health Service data indicate that Indian youth/young adults’ suicide risk is 2.5 times greater than the nationwide U.S. rate. Young Indian men are more at risk to completed suicides, whereas young Indian women are more at risk of suicidal ideation or thoughts.” Mr. Gidner also presented data from the 2003 BIA High School and Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Surveys. The surveys showed that slightly more than one in five American Indian high school students had seriously considered suicide in the past year and nearly as many had attempted suicide.
Mr. Gidner noted that while “hard data” is not available on Indian country residents, the professional literature suggests a strong association between parental and substance abuse, domestic violence, low socioeconomic status and suicide. He said that “improving housing conditions; increasing prevention, treatment and identification of at-risk individuals and families; and enhancing community development through technical assistance and training for tribal leaders and staff” would help prevent suicide.
Dr. Charles Grim, director of the Indian Health Service, called the statistics “startling.” He noted the suicide clusters in some reservations, such as the Standing Rock in the Dakotas and Red Lake in Minnesota, saying that “suicide, like an infectious disease, spreads rapidly among family and peer groups.” He emphasized the need for American Indian and Alaska Native youth to be involved in suicide prevention as peer counselors and via more formal training provided by tribal colleges. Mr. Charles Curie, an administrator with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), agreed with Dr. Grim and announced $9.6 million in new funding for eight additional grants under the Garrett Leigh Smith Memorial Act State/Tribal Suicide Prevention Program.
Dr. R. Dale Walker, director of the One Sky Center, a resource center funded by SAMHSA, thanked Chair John McCain (R-AZ) for his efforts on American Indian youth suicide prevention as the sponsor of S. 2245. The bill would establish an Indian youth telemental health demonstration project. Dr. Walker asked that the bill or future efforts include a coordinator of telehealth programs, amend the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention violent death reporting system to record victim characteristics, and provide technical assistance and training of staff and tribal leadership.
