A professor who has studied historical trauma among American Indians says the high rate of suicide can be linked to genocide.

"So much happened to our people, we didn't have time to recover from one trauma before another occurred," said Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, a professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, The Spokesman Review reported.

Brave Heart spoke at the Native American Suicide and Violence Prevention Conference held on the Kalispel Reservation in Washington. According to the Indian Health Service, the peak suicide rate among Native Americans in the state was 23 per 100,000.

The Confederated Colville Tribes have seen a rash of suicides in recent months. Their rate is 5 times higher than the rate for Washington Natives.

Get the Story:
Expert says past genocide linked to suicides in Native Americans (The Spokesman Review 10/25)

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