Suicide among young American Indians nearly double national rate

[KamaAina]

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/suicide-rate-among-young-american-indians-nearly-double-national-average/

For two decades, more than 30 of his family members and friends did the same, part of a trend sweeping Indian Country where suicide among people age 18 to 24 far outpaces the national rate, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Those who “completed” in taking their lives were in their 20s and 30s, and younger cousins first attempted suicide in their teens, said Gallegos, 25, a member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the Pueblo of Santa Ana and a researcher at the University of Colorado’s Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health.

In his community, suicide among young people is an ever-present issue that goes unaddressed, Gallegos explained. Part of the problem is that it can feel overwhelming....

Among people age 18 to 24 nationwide, the suicide rate is 12.8 deaths per 100,000, and is the second leading cause of death for people between 15- and 24-years-old, the CDC reported. Among all racial and ethnic groups studied, men at this age were far more likely than women to commit suicide. Within the American Indian and Alaskan Native population that age, the rate nearly doubles to 22.5 deaths per 100,000, according to CDC data from 2012 to 2013 released today.

[Dont call me Shirley]

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