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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2001

In her continuing series on suicide and mental health in Indian Country, Jodi Rave of The Lincoln Journal Star looks at support mechanisms to what is being called an epidemic killing Native youth.

On the Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana, Kenneth "Tuffy" Helgeson created a support group for his peers. The 17-year-old said he was tired of seeing his friends die from suicide and alcohol-related accidents.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes on the Flathead Reservation, also in Montana, are fighting suicide and related problems by combining tradition with conventional mental health conseling. The tribes have a Native psychologist on staff, in addition to social workers.

For the Brave Heart Women's Society, solidarity among women is the key. It was formed six years ago on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota to provide support for women and young girls.

Get the Story:
Teens embrace heritage as they help each other (The Lincoln Journal Star 11/27)
Tribes try blend of tradition, therapy (The Lincoln Journal Star 11/27)
Group helps women stay strong (The Lincoln Journal Star 11/27)

Related Stories:
Series examines suicide, mental health (11/26)