Native American communities have among the highest rates of suicide of any demographic across the country. Unlike the national trend, young people are much more likely to commit suicide at rates three times higher than the national average.
What is causing large numbers of young people to take their own lives, and what’s being done to curb the problem? As our California Native series continues, Dr. Michael Yannuck and Martin Martinez explain the tactics used and the road ahead.
To learn more about the subject you can read:
- The 2014 DHHS Report "Trends In Indian Health."
- The 2011 DHHS Report "Access to Mental Health Services at Indian Health Service and Tribal Facilities."
- The National Alliance on Mental Illness explanation of suicide risk factors and warning signs.
- The December 2016 HuffPost article "Native American Youth Suicide Rates Are At Crisis Levels."
- The Center For Native American Youth fact sheet.
- The Indian Health Services fact sheet on behavioral health.
- The 2014 Pew Research report on Native American poverty.
Graph from 2015 Centers For Disease Control and Prevention report examining suicide rates. / Courtesy
Graph from 2015 Centers For Disease Control and Prevention report examining suicide rates. / Courtesy