Post by blackcrowheart on Jan 30, 2006 9:25:02 GMT -5
Teen suicides remain mystery
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Teen suicides remain mystery
www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/news/columnists/1373374
5.htm
Almost a year has passed since the word of teen suicides at Standing
Rock Indian Reservation became national news. During that time, has
anything changed for the Lakota nation and its children?The good news
is, there have been no new suicides of young people in those months.
There have been attempts but no completions.
But a voice nags at me as a journalist. While the hearings and
discussions about the situation (five suicides in less than two
months) were taking place, one of the caretakers at Standing Rock
said, "Yes, you (the media) are here now because it's a big story.
But when it becomes old news, you will forget about what happened
here."
Forgetting about the lost young people slows prevention, hampers
solutions and changes the focus, he said.
To quiet that nagging voice, I began to search out those who were
working on the issues. I started out with wanting a single answer:
Why?
After talking with experts in the field -- psychiatrists,
psychologists, counsels and caretakers -- I understand that there is
no one defining answer.
The path to healing started with Sen. Bryon Dorgan, D-N.D., who
called for hearings involving all levels -- from the highest
caretakers at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, to teenagers who were on the battlefield, so to speak.
The hearings were held in Bismarck near the reservation and on "The
Hill" in Washington, D.C., where top-level Indian Health Services
personnel and professional caretakers gathered.
During those hearings, experts such as SAMHSA director A. Kathryn
Power said there are too few providers in remote locations such as
reservations, and there is a "lack of cultural competency in our
programs and provider training."
I could understand. There are more than 560 tribal groups in the
nation. There are some common cultural threads that run through all
groups, but there's just as many threads that are as different as
bright purple is from dull yellow.
Yes, experts in the field will find it difficult to understand so
many Native cultures.
Many agreed that a common theme of alcohol and drug abuse is a
contributing factor. Alcohol can be a depressant and certainly is a
culprit. Many of the victims of suicide were under the influence of
alcohol or drugs. One woman at Standing Rock said it was meth for her
daughter. Meth is a growing problem on reservations.
The suicides at Standing Rock in 2005 were different in that, up to
that time, most of the suicides nationwide and at Standing Rock had
been committed by males. In 2005 at Standing Rock, more were females.
Another anomaly is that some of the young people who killed
themselves were not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They
were good students -- another reason why experts scratched their
heads.
Dr. R. Dale Walker, director of the One Sky Center in Portland, Ore.,
and himself a Cherokee, said he made a couple of visits to Standing
Rock. The One Sky Center is the first national resource center for
American Indians and Alaska Natives dedicated to improving prevention
and treatment of substance abuse and mental health.
Walker said he is learning about the culture of the Standing Rock
tribe and intends to spend more time there.
Walker says he wants to be a listening post. He is providing training
and grant-writing support for the people. In my lengthy conversation
with him a few days ago, it was apparent that he cares a great deal
about the people he is working with and is trying to understand the
Lakota culture. Walker said he sees the spiritual leaders on the
reservation as a good resource.
Several other caretakers talked about how important cultural events,
ceremonies and prayer were to this healing processes. Don Coyhis, a
member of the Mohican tribe and president of the White Bison Inc., in
Colorado Spring, Colo., said that "When we turn to our Native
culture, there are no suicides, no meth, no alcohol."
Over the years, I've sat across the fire in the inipi (sweat lodge)
or prayed at Sundance, and I've heard many prayers from people who
abused alcohol or drugs and even toyed with suicide. Their prayers to
the Creator and the ceremonies that led them there and the culture
helped changed their lives, they said.
The cultural is an inate part of who we are -- it sometimes is the
voice of our ancient ancestors. It is a strong tool for those who
search it out, but not all Native people do that. I know, too, that
there are other ways, other beliefs that work for some people.
My question, "Why?", I realized, couldn't be answered in one word or
one solution. It is a complicated issue.
For example, I wondered if prescription antidepressants or over-the-
counter medications had resulted in some of the suicides on the
reservation. What medications are being prescribed for depression?
And are the experts able to reach deep into the culture for support?
Who are the outside caretakers consulting for advice on the cultural
aspects? Or are they consulting at all ? Walker seemed interested in
this aspect.
There is no doubt that the road to healing for the people is a long
and arduous one, but it seems we are making progress.
Next week, I will talk with the locals -- the people on the
reservation for their point of view.
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Teen suicides remain mystery
www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforksherald/news/columnists/1373374
5.htm
Almost a year has passed since the word of teen suicides at Standing
Rock Indian Reservation became national news. During that time, has
anything changed for the Lakota nation and its children?The good news
is, there have been no new suicides of young people in those months.
There have been attempts but no completions.
But a voice nags at me as a journalist. While the hearings and
discussions about the situation (five suicides in less than two
months) were taking place, one of the caretakers at Standing Rock
said, "Yes, you (the media) are here now because it's a big story.
But when it becomes old news, you will forget about what happened
here."
Forgetting about the lost young people slows prevention, hampers
solutions and changes the focus, he said.
To quiet that nagging voice, I began to search out those who were
working on the issues. I started out with wanting a single answer:
Why?
After talking with experts in the field -- psychiatrists,
psychologists, counsels and caretakers -- I understand that there is
no one defining answer.
The path to healing started with Sen. Bryon Dorgan, D-N.D., who
called for hearings involving all levels -- from the highest
caretakers at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, to teenagers who were on the battlefield, so to speak.
The hearings were held in Bismarck near the reservation and on "The
Hill" in Washington, D.C., where top-level Indian Health Services
personnel and professional caretakers gathered.
During those hearings, experts such as SAMHSA director A. Kathryn
Power said there are too few providers in remote locations such as
reservations, and there is a "lack of cultural competency in our
programs and provider training."
I could understand. There are more than 560 tribal groups in the
nation. There are some common cultural threads that run through all
groups, but there's just as many threads that are as different as
bright purple is from dull yellow.
Yes, experts in the field will find it difficult to understand so
many Native cultures.
Many agreed that a common theme of alcohol and drug abuse is a
contributing factor. Alcohol can be a depressant and certainly is a
culprit. Many of the victims of suicide were under the influence of
alcohol or drugs. One woman at Standing Rock said it was meth for her
daughter. Meth is a growing problem on reservations.
The suicides at Standing Rock in 2005 were different in that, up to
that time, most of the suicides nationwide and at Standing Rock had
been committed by males. In 2005 at Standing Rock, more were females.
Another anomaly is that some of the young people who killed
themselves were not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They
were good students -- another reason why experts scratched their
heads.
Dr. R. Dale Walker, director of the One Sky Center in Portland, Ore.,
and himself a Cherokee, said he made a couple of visits to Standing
Rock. The One Sky Center is the first national resource center for
American Indians and Alaska Natives dedicated to improving prevention
and treatment of substance abuse and mental health.
Walker said he is learning about the culture of the Standing Rock
tribe and intends to spend more time there.
Walker says he wants to be a listening post. He is providing training
and grant-writing support for the people. In my lengthy conversation
with him a few days ago, it was apparent that he cares a great deal
about the people he is working with and is trying to understand the
Lakota culture. Walker said he sees the spiritual leaders on the
reservation as a good resource.
Several other caretakers talked about how important cultural events,
ceremonies and prayer were to this healing processes. Don Coyhis, a
member of the Mohican tribe and president of the White Bison Inc., in
Colorado Spring, Colo., said that "When we turn to our Native
culture, there are no suicides, no meth, no alcohol."
Over the years, I've sat across the fire in the inipi (sweat lodge)
or prayed at Sundance, and I've heard many prayers from people who
abused alcohol or drugs and even toyed with suicide. Their prayers to
the Creator and the ceremonies that led them there and the culture
helped changed their lives, they said.
The cultural is an inate part of who we are -- it sometimes is the
voice of our ancient ancestors. It is a strong tool for those who
search it out, but not all Native people do that. I know, too, that
there are other ways, other beliefs that work for some people.
My question, "Why?", I realized, couldn't be answered in one word or
one solution. It is a complicated issue.
For example, I wondered if prescription antidepressants or over-the-
counter medications had resulted in some of the suicides on the
reservation. What medications are being prescribed for depression?
And are the experts able to reach deep into the culture for support?
Who are the outside caretakers consulting for advice on the cultural
aspects? Or are they consulting at all ? Walker seemed interested in
this aspect.
There is no doubt that the road to healing for the people is a long
and arduous one, but it seems we are making progress.
Next week, I will talk with the locals -- the people on the
reservation for their point of view.