The Suicidal Indian: Exploring the State of Mental Health and Healthcare in the Native American CommunityEssay Preview: The Suicidal Indian: Exploring the State of Mental Health and Healthcare in the Native American CommunityReport this essayThe Suicidal Indian: Exploring the State of Mental Health and Healthcare in the Native American communityIntroductionIn a 1975 article in the Journal of Psychiatry, James Shore tells us the story behind the conception of the stereotype of the “suicidal Indian.” In 1968, Senator Robert Kennedy visited the intermountain Indian reservation on the same day the community had experienced a suicide related death. Becoming the topic of conversation for the day, American Indian suicide came to the attention of the U.S. government resulting in the discovery that the rate of suicide within the American Indian population was approximately 100 per 100,000, almost ten times the national average.( Tomren 1999). American Indians and Alaska Indians (AI/AN) exhibit suicide-related behaviors at rates much higher than the general population (Manson 2003). Suicide-related behavior is described as suicide, suicide attempts, and suicide ideation. American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest rates of suicide of all ethnic groups in the United States (15-24yrs.). Suicide is the second leading cause of death for American Indian youth. As recently as 2001, there were 4 million American Indian and Alaskan American Indian people in the Unites States representing only 1.5% of the total population. They are a fairly young population with the mean age of an American Indian being 26 years. (Cameron2001) Because they are a very small population it is extremely important to bring to light the issues that impact the preservation of the culture. In this paper I hope to tackle the topic of suicide inside the American Indian culture because if continued at this rate of prevalence the culture will indeed become endangered.
There are three aims for this research paper. The first aim is to examine the cultural factors that impact the state of mental health and mental healthcare for American Indians. The second aim is to further investigate how these factors explain the excessive rates of suicide within this population. Finally, third aim is to explore what possible prevention and awareness education is available for the American Indians concerning suicide. I will approach this paper by dividing it up into four important topics. First I will discuss how the combination of both the dominant culture and the American Indian culture impacts mental health within the population. Next I will discuss the dilemmas that American Indians face while seeking mental healthcare. Also I will explain how both factors, mental health and mental healthcare play a vital role in the suicide prevalence. Finally, I will describe the treatments being utilized in effort to combat both the high rates of suicide and the inadequacies in mental healthcare.
It is important to study suicide among these people not only because it impacts a large percentage of this small population, but also, because of their extremely small representation in the United States, there is not a sufficient amount of information known to determine the causes and provide effective prevention measures to ensure that these rates do not continue to increase. Also because this is such a young population, the prevalence of suicide in the youth has become a major player in the extinction of the American Indian culture. To put this issue into context, the Indian Health Services 2001 study reports that the suicide rate of American Indians 15-24 is 2.8
times higher than that of their non-American Indian counterparts. Additionally more than half of American Indian adolescents report being depressed.(Cameron2001) Also the Indian Adolescents Health Survey shows that 20% of all American Indian girls have attempted suicide.
The Conflict of Two CulturesAcculturationIn the early twentieth century, American Indian children were sometimes forcibly removed to live with white families in order to shed their language, traditions, and become “civilized”. The assimilation of American Indian children into a society that was unfamiliar and not their own impacted the tribal structure tremendously. (Ecohawk1997) A pattern that is still being seen today is that the “educated” children are becoming disconnected to the elders in the community. Children who have either voluntarily and forcibly been assimilated have lost the language and skills making it largely difficult to communicate with parents, grandparents and other relatives. (Ecohawk1997). This one impact of history on the American Indian people is not unique. The larger society has played an important part in influencing the stresses put on American Indians. The culture has been repeatedly exploited as well as many attempts have been made to exterminate the tradition and heritage that still exists. The topic of identity is a major issue for many American Indians, old and young alike. A major part of American Indians history is made up of the continuous effort to change the culture through acculturation. As described by Cameron 2001, acculturation is the way an individual incorporates the values and traditions of a new culture into their currently held values and beliefs; this usually refers to an individual from a non-dominant culture. There are four different ways that American Indians deal with
acculturation that affect their ability to seek out help for their mental illnesses.(Berry and Kim 1988;Cameron2001) To be discussed further in the Seeking Help section, American Indians can respond in one of the following four ways: they can reject the dominant culture, totally assimilate, integrate while maintaining their own heritage, or de-culturate (Cameron2001). Although they are not limited to these four reactions, the overall embrace and influence of the dominant culture plays a large part in determining how an individual views himself and in the example of the school children, how an individual views his community.
SpiritualityIt is debated whether or not great spirituality plays an important role in suicide-related behaviors. On one hand we find in Ellison (1991) that strong religious commitments, as those found in many American Indian communities, are associated with greater happiness, a sense of life fulfillment, and a better ability to cope with trauma (coping theory). On the other hand, we also find that those religious commitments may cause stress especially in the case of American Indians, where many of their behaviors are “at odds with the values of the dominant culture.” ( Manson 2001). The resiliency and coping theory is utilized by prevention and intervention targeting suicide among American Indians, but scholars argue that perhaps one of the
nstos might be the greatest benefit: at the same time one (i) may learn to cope with adversity in an easier, more focused environment, and (ii) may have more effective ways of coping (K. V. Krishnan, J. F. J. and C. V. Haggard, 1995).
What is the role of religion in suicide prevention? As I read through various scientific literature for an in-depth discussion of religion and suicide, I quickly realized this. Religion may also play a role in suicide prevention by increasing understanding about why people commit their murders, so that attempts of the same kind are less likely to succeed. The research literature on suicide rates has been mostly focused on social factors, however in recent years, more research in psychology, sociology, ethnology, and religious thought has been undertaken. Many studies on suicide are based in part on studies investigating how people respond after they commit suicide. (A number of these studies focus primarily on factors that affect how we feel after committing) In one of these studies, people were asked to make a brief mental note of their thoughts after committing a violent act or during a stressful situation. One of the more striking findings of this study is that they found that although they thought of their victims as suicidal before committing the violent act, only the suicidal one reported seeing the perpetrator as their best friend. It was unclear if, as had been the case in previous studies on people who had tried to commit suicide by committing suicide, they consciously felt suicidal. (More recently, the same investigators studied people who had been in a relationship and, following a short delay, reported that they were at more risk of suicide by suicidal behavior than women without their relationship, and those who had had that situation while they were having sex. It is unclear what has occurred to them at the time of this study. I hope this article clarifies other factors that have influenced people’s behavior after committing suicide, and to which religions may have been involved as well.)
Does violence or a religious belief affect suicidal behavior? Is the suicide rate different among religious groups than between religion groups? Does violent suicide involve some degree of religious belief? If so, how and how do people respond to such a question? Although I don’t believe we are dealing with a single, objective answer, I do believe that most suicide was committed by people who did not believe strongly in their beliefs that there was a God or some other entity that did a good job at controlling their life.
Does violence or religious belief affect suicidal ideation? Although religion does have a substantial role to play in suicide, it appears the main factor is religious belief rather than one’s individual beliefs and practices. As was my contention on this subject over the years, religious belief has increased in the United States in large part due to growing media fascination with such phenomena as mass shootings, such as the 2001 Aurora, CO mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 21 children and teens. However, as these young men are well known to have been mass-
nstos might be the greatest benefit: at the same time one (i) may learn to cope with adversity in an easier, more focused environment, and (ii) may have more effective ways of coping (K. V. Krishnan, J. F. J. and C. V. Haggard, 1995).
What is the role of religion in suicide prevention? As I read through various scientific literature for an in-depth discussion of religion and suicide, I quickly realized this. Religion may also play a role in suicide prevention by increasing understanding about why people commit their murders, so that attempts of the same kind are less likely to succeed. The research literature on suicide rates has been mostly focused on social factors, however in recent years, more research in psychology, sociology, ethnology, and religious thought has been undertaken. Many studies on suicide are based in part on studies investigating how people respond after they commit suicide. (A number of these studies focus primarily on factors that affect how we feel after committing) In one of these studies, people were asked to make a brief mental note of their thoughts after committing a violent act or during a stressful situation. One of the more striking findings of this study is that they found that although they thought of their victims as suicidal before committing the violent act, only the suicidal one reported seeing the perpetrator as their best friend. It was unclear if, as had been the case in previous studies on people who had tried to commit suicide by committing suicide, they consciously felt suicidal. (More recently, the same investigators studied people who had been in a relationship and, following a short delay, reported that they were at more risk of suicide by suicidal behavior than women without their relationship, and those who had had that situation while they were having sex. It is unclear what has occurred to them at the time of this study. I hope this article clarifies other factors that have influenced people’s behavior after committing suicide, and to which religions may have been involved as well.)
Does violence or a religious belief affect suicidal behavior? Is the suicide rate different among religious groups than between religion groups? Does violent suicide involve some degree of religious belief? If so, how and how do people respond to such a question? Although I don’t believe we are dealing with a single, objective answer, I do believe that most suicide was committed by people who did not believe strongly in their beliefs that there was a God or some other entity that did a good job at controlling their life.
Does violence or religious belief affect suicidal ideation? Although religion does have a substantial role to play in suicide, it appears the main factor is religious belief rather than one’s individual beliefs and practices. As was my contention on this subject over the years, religious belief has increased in the United States in large part due to growing media fascination with such phenomena as mass shootings, such as the 2001 Aurora, CO mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 21 children and teens. However, as these young men are well known to have been mass-