Youth participate in a healing camp that was organized to address suicide on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Photo by Cindy Giago
Solving the problem of teen suicide is crucial
By Native Sun News Editorial Board There is an old saying that goes, “Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” But does that simple comment even hold water? First of all when teenagers contemplate taking their own lives there are many deep-seated problems within the life of that teenager that are seldom investigated or researched. Maybe they are living under the roof of an abuser or maybe their parents are hopeless alcoholics or drug addicts. Maybe they are ashamed of their poverty and their inability to have what other teenagers have such as new clothes, a car, or a loving, sober family. Or perhaps they are tired of facing a bully every school day. All of these things can eat away at the self-esteem of a teenager and the total loss of self-esteem or self-worth, is probably the most telling indicator of why teenagers commit suicide. Yes, suicide is a “permanent solution” but the problems faced by a depressed, anxious teenager cannot be laughed off as temporary, because to that youngster, these problems become permanently established in their minds. When a family loses a teenager to suicide it is something they do not want to talk about, but perhaps they should be the ones speaking out and leading the fight to combat it. Many of us may wonder how it is that a teenager can become so despondent that they will take their own lives. This is the question that must be answered and finding an answer will require a total commitment by the parents, schools and above all a supportive tribal government. Why the tribal government? First off look at the extreme numbers of young Lakota that have taken their own lives over the past 10 years: Why in the past two years alone a total of 11 teenagers have taken their own lives. If one adds the total number from the past 10 years it would probably come near the figure of 50. But that is easily enough researched and this is where the tribal government is so important. Let’s say that 10 teenagers committed suicide in the State of Iowa last year. You be certain that the governor and the state legislators would be not only asking why, but making an all-out effort to stop it from happening. Our Lakota leaders, for the most part, are very spiritual people. They should be asking themselves why our young people have drifted away or lost that Lakota spirituality. Think of all the young Lakota who could have been a vital part of our society that are no longer with us. Think of the harm and sadness these suicides have brought to so many families on the reservation. It is time for the Oglala Sioux Tribe to step up. Find an expert on teenage suicide, preferably a Native American, and under the auspices of the tribal government, have that expert set up talking sessions in every reservation community where parents, teachers, tribal officials and even the school children themselves are invited to listen, ask questions and learn. Also available is the “American Indian Life Skills Development Curriculum” for suicide prevention written by Teresa D. LaFromboise. It is a small beginning but the problem of teen suicide in Indian Country is growing and it must be faced head-on and a solution found. Surely John Steele and the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council can find the people to help bring this problem to an end. For the Oglala Sioux Tribe it is finding a permanent solution to a deep-seated problem that is no longer temporary. Copyright permission Native Sun News
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