The Prevention Of Suicide In Aboriginal Suicide

The social issue that I would like to address as a social worker is the epidemic of indigenous youth suicide in Canada. On the macro level, I believe this issue can be understood through two fundamental components: the residual effects of colonization trauma passed through generations and the effects of current colonial-based, neo-liberal institutional actions on indigenous youth.

The usual causes, triggers as well as risk factors that are associated with suicide are poverty, trauma, substance abuse and relationship problems (Ridani et al., 2015). From 2001 to 2010, 4.2% of Aboriginal deaths was due to suicide while for all other Australians it only accounted for 1.6% of deaths (ABS, 2012). Furthermore, females of Indigenous Australian origin aged 15 to 19 years, committed suicide 5.9 times more than other female Australians while the ratio for male Indigenous people was 5.5 more than other male Australians and the suicide overall ratio for Indigenous people is twice more than that of non-Indigenous Australians. (ABS, 2012) A person is at an increased risk for suicide if they have mental health disorders and chronic diseases, are unemployed, isolation, social support is non-existent, history of depression and other behavioural factors as well (Evans & Brown,

In addition, the program offered healing to the community still healing from the legacy of colonialism. If the federal government kept funding the suicide prevention program there would not have been a spike in suicide rates in the community. Furthermore, a psychologist at the University of Victoria, Christopher Lalonde, believes the key to stopping suicides is rooted in the communities (McCue, 2016). From two decades of researching, he found that the communities that are the least “culturally healthy” have a higher rate of youth suicide (McCue, 2016). Also, the mental wellness of aboriginal youths is not only about being mentally healthy but also having a balance between Aboriginal youths’ families, communities, and the environment (Khan, 2008). Therefore, it will be better that Aboriginal suicide prevention programs are created by Aboriginal communities to target the prevalence issues in their communities with some assistance from the government to set it up and fund

Since December of 2015, there has been an alarming rate of suicides to occur in Manitoba, Canada on the Cross Lake First Nation Indian Reserve. Since then six students have committed suicide while ten others have attempted it. Most of the people who have attempted suicide are ninth and tenth graders of that school and are currently on a suicide prevention list. The chief of the small community of only six thousand eight hundred individuals is calling a state of emergency. Shirley Robinson who is the chief told CNN, “There's so much hurt, there's so much pain. You can feel it in every direction of our nation. Only last year there was one suicide while in some of the recent past years there had been no suicides. The community said it is difficult

Aboriginal people represent less than 3% of the total population in BC. Yet, they account for more than 9% of all suicides in BC (Chandler). The numbers of suicides amongst aboriginal youth are even more alarming – nearly one-fourth of all youth suicides in BC are committed by aboriginals and more than half of all aboriginal suicides are committed by youth (Chandler). The fact that indigenous communities in Canada have the highest rate of suicide of any culturally identifiable group in the world implies that these alarming statistics may not solely be a result of aboriginal communities belonging to a minority cultural group. I will attempt to build a speculative hypothesis behind the significantly high suicide rates amongst aboriginal

The inability to make and prolong relationships leads to a sense of isolation, and contributes to poor mental health and depression. Hospitalisation rates for self-harm are representative of mental illness, depression and stress – and in 2006, Indigenous Australians were 3 times more likely to be hospitalized for severe self-harm than other Australians. In 2011, 80% of suicides of the ages 19 to 24 were

According to STATS Canada, suicide is the leading cause of death among Canadian aboriginals between youth and adults under 44 years old. (Kirmayer et al., 2007, p. xv)

Alcohol abuse among Aboriginal youth is a prevalent issue in Canada. This widespread drug abuse stems from social, cultural, and biological factors. As there are many negative impacts that come with alcohol abuse, treatment options are necessary. When treating Aboriginal youth for alcohol abuse, it is necessary for practitioners to take cultural context into consideration to ensure sensitivity and success. It is important to understand alcohol abuse and why Aboriginal youth are an especially high risk demographic. This helps to identify effective ways to diminish alcohol abuse in the Aboriginal youth population through behavioural therapy, drug therapy, and therapeutic recreation programs.

Among NA/AN adults, this rate is 75% higher than that of the general population. Suicide is not isolated to NA/AN adults – among NA/AN youth, the rates of death due to suicide are double the general population, and NA/AN teens experience the highest rate of suicide of any population group in America. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among NA/ANs aged 15 to 24. On a standardized survey, fifteen percent of students in schools located on Native American reservations in 2010 reported having attempted suicide in the prior year. Among youth, the most common reasons for attempting suicide were feelings of hopelessness or despair, bleak future prospects, domestic trouble, and bullying. There is concern among some mental health professionals that suicide is having a contagion-like effect in some communities and schools – feeling neglected, youth can be attracted to the displays of mourning that follow a death; and once they hear about the method of suicide, they imitate it. Sadly, in some communities, suicide attempts have become commonplace and a normal part of daily

Census, the NA/AN population is young (30% are in their teens) and projected to grow by 6 million between now and the year 2060 (U.S. Census, 2010).4 For a young population that is projected to grow, the need to focus on their poor mental health outcomes is evident. Close to 20% of NA/AN children reported substance abuse or dependence within the last six months in one standardized survey.5 NA/AN children are more likely to be victims of a violent crime, to be hit or killed by an automobile or to drown than either their African American or white peers.6 The fact that most NA/AN children survive these events, however, carries the high possibility that they carry the memory and experience of a highly traumatic event into their lives, which could impact their subsequent behaviors.6 One of the most unfortunate statistics that has been receiving much attention recently for its severity in the NA/AN community is deaths due to suicide. For NA/AN youth, the rates of death due to suicide are double the general population, and NA/AN teens experience the highest rate of suicide of any population group in America.7 On a standardized survey, fifteen percent of students in schools located on Native American reservations in 2009 reported having attempted suicide in the prior

The burden of disease and injury is higher amongst Indigenous Australian youths as compared to other Australians. For young Indigenous people, this burden is largely attributable to high rates of mental disorders like anxiety and depression (AIHW, 2011). Indigenous Australians aged 18 to 24 were twice as likely to report high levels of psychological distress than non-indigenous Australians of the same age (AIHW, 2011).

Proximal determinants of health involve conditions that have an effect on physical, mental, emotional or spiritual health. The origin of good health arises long before conception, with the historical, political, economic and social contexts. Proximal detriments help influence health over people life span. Beginning in early childhood, social determinants establish a possible course that is only moderately changeable in the current social and economic context, which many Aboriginal children live. Although the Australian Government aims towards proving aid to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their requirements are not always

Seeing that youth suicide rates amongst Aboriginal youth are five to seven times higher than non-Aboriginal youth, and Inuit youth are among the highest in the world, at 11 times the national average, there are several contributing attributes that should be further researched. (Health Canada, 2013) One of the contributing factors that are discussed in many Aboriginal courses is that of identity. Aboriginal youth who face high levels of intergenerational trauma due to the RS system often find themselves distanced from Aboriginal culture, without their mother tongue, and western culture. This alongside the negative portrayals of Indigenous peoples within media many times go much deeper to factors beyond an individual 's control and end up as a common root cause of suicide. One way for the federal government can combat this particular factor is through the emplacement of acknowledgment initiatives. Trying to reduce negative stigmas and stereotypes as well, to educate, can help promote healthy self-esteem and confidence levels within Aboriginal youth and result in the prevention of high suicide levels amongst Aboriginal youth. (CITE)

Suicide prevention is an important topic to be discussed in academia as suicide has become a big social problem affecting the lives of the individual and the surrounding people. Suicide can be looked as an act of selfishness, consequently leaves perplexity among family and friends, but from a sociological perspective, it is a multifaceted issue. The article from the Current, brought into light how the Indigenous community Canada have higher rates of suicide compared to the general population, especially amongst the youth. The feeling of anomie and experience of racism puts immense stress on aboriginal youths, and this experience is replicated in the sociological imagination of the history and biography of Indigenous people.

While discovering theories and research by sociologist Emile Durkheim, I was able to see a clear connection to how these theories could be applied to the amount of suicides to those of first nation decent. Considering citizens from first nations groups have been estimated to be eleven times more likely to commit suicide, there are underlying factors of why this may be. Durkheim’s theory states that suicide is a sociological issue and as we have seen there are many ways society could affect ones emotional state.