CFK Reports From: Oversight Hearing on Suicide Prevention Programs and their Application in Indian Country
Event: Hearing
Organized By: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
Where/When: 485 Russell Senate Office Building; May 17, 2006

By: Martha Pitts

The statistics are grim: American Indian youth have the highest suicide rate among all ethnic groups, a rate that is almost twice the national average, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To address this issue, youth suicide prevention programs have been created to better serve the community. Two panels presented written testimony about their experiences, findings, and goals on suicide prevention programs to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

Jerry Gidner, deputy director for Tribal Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), U.S. Department of the Interior, spoke about the role his organization has played in developing suicide prevention programs, and about the data from the biennial BIA High School and Middle School Youth Risk Behavior surveys. The most recent data for high school students enrolled in 2003 reveal that 21 percent of American Indian students surveyed seriously considered attempting suicide in the last year, and 18% actually attempted suicide one or more times in the last year. For middle school students, the data showed that 26% seriously considered attempting suicide one or more times in the last year and 15% had made a suicide attempt.

"What"s happening is unbelievable," said Senator Byron Dorgan, vice chairman of the committee. "They have the feeling that their life is hopeless. They are begging for attention."

Gidner listed services the BIA has provided in response to the problem, such as collaborating with the Native American Youth Suicide Prevention Health Initiative, which resulted in a workshop on suicide prevention. Gidner said there is a shortage of trained professionals to observe and work with American Indian youth who are thinking about suicide.

Charles Curie, administrator for the substance abuse and mental health services administration (SAMHSA) said that his organization has awarded grants to help states and/or tribes implement suicide prevention networks at the state or tribal level. Curie said SAMHSA has increased funding to an existing national suicide prevention hotline -- 1 800 273 TALK -- and asked the hotline to find ways to expand access and awareness among Native American youth. Curie explained that because some tribes live in remote rural areas, there are challenges to making suicide prevention resources available. He talked about different models, including one developed by the University of Alaska in which individual members of tribes are trained as mental health aides under the supervision of graduate students.

Senator John McCain asked the panel about the widespread use of methamphetamines in Native American communities. Panel members agreed on the strong relationships between substance abuse and suicide among Native American youth. Curie said, "We need to work with tribes in the context of their culture and needs on what the risk factors are for substance abuse."

Doctor Charles Grim, director of Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, acknowledged that substantial progress has been made in developing plans and delivering programs to reduce the suicide rate among American Indian young people, but said that it is still only the beginning of a long-term effort among federal, tribal, state and local agencies to address the crisis. "Suicide is not a single problem. It is a single response to multiple problems," Grim said.

The Senate Committee has a webcast and testimony [1].