Statistics concerning Native American death rates as compared to the rest of the United States population deserve much more attention than they receive. In 2010, Senator Byron L. Dorgan, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, compiled a report entitled “The Tragedy of Native American Youth Suicide.” The report echoes a 2008 study by the Indian Health Service (IHS) in stating: “The rate of suicide for American Indian and Alaska Natives is far higher than that of any other ethnic group in the United States—70% higher than the rate for the general population of the United States. American Indian and Alaska Native youth are among the hardest hit. They have the highest rate of suicide for males and females, ages 10 to 24, of any racial group.” Additionally, the report declares that on certain reservations, the incidence of youth suicide was found to be 10 times the national average. These statistics are by no means recent developments, with studies by the Centers for Disease Control showing similar numbers from between 1989 and 1998. Dorgan’s report lists a few risk factors specific to Native American populations living on reservations, including rampant alcohol and drug abuse, high sexual assault rates, low socioeconomic status, etc.Get the Story:
Ramona Taheri: Native American Youth Suicides and the Sequester (CounterPunch 10/22)
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