Julianne Jennings: Put an end to bullying of our Native students

The rising teenage suicide rate (or attempted suicides) among any population is sorrowful. Multiple youth suicides send waves of hopelessness and despair throughout all communities in which they occur. In a recent article by the National Education Association, Bullying Emerges as a Contributing Factor: The Scourge of Suicides among American Indian and Alaska Native Youth, 2011 revels, “American Indian children and teenagers are committing suicide at more than three times the rate of the overall youth population in this country. Among American Indian and Alaska Native youth, suicide is the second leading cause of death behind accidental injuries.” Vulnerability factors include: high rates of poverty and unemployment, substance abuse, family breakdown, pressure to abandon their traditional culture, and a lack of culturally sensitive mental health care providers and resources to address their unique needs.

Additional causes are described as “stressful events” that can trigger a suicide, according to researchers and public health professionals. “One such stress event for American Indian and Alaska Native youth who have committed suicide is the loss of an adult who has been close to them—a parent, grandparent or some other family member—due to death, divorce or desertion.” Another major stress event is “the suicide of a friend or peer—hence the multiplier effect of suicide.” Another is persistent and pernicious bullying.