Post by Okwes on Aug 3, 2006 11:37:35 GMT -5
Tribes working to prevent suicide
By James C. Falcon, Journal Staff Writer
RAPID CITY - According to a study produced by the South Dakota Department of Health, 1,068 people committed suicide in the state from 1993 to 2002. Of these cases, 162 - or 15 percent - were American Indians.
Fain LeBeau was almost one of them.
In March 2000, he had attempted suicide in the basement of his home in Eagle Butte.
However, his father, Corbin LeBeau, saw what had happened and quickly got his son to a nearby hospital, preventing Fain LeBeau's death.
Both father and son attended at a suicide prevention conference Wednesday in Rapid City. The conference, titled "It Takes A Tribe . ," was created for Indian entities and organizations to meet and discuss ways to prevent suicide in Indian Country.
The title of the conference refers to the fact that, with the help of the tribal community, suicide prevention can become more widespread, helping to lower statistics - an opinion made prevalent throughout the conference.
"Suicide can affect anybody," Corbin LeBeau, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council, said. According to LeBeau, suicide knows no economic boundaries. "It changes the dynamics of a family. To end your life is permanent."
The LeBeaus were among many people who shared stories of either the suicide of a loved one or their own survivals from a suicide attempt. Mourning the loss of family members, "personal shame" and the divorce of parents were contributing factors mentioned during the forum.
The causes of suicide can vary.
Biological, personal/psychological, and environmental risk factors can lead someone to commit suicide, participants learned. A "final straw" factor could include such examples as a crisis in a relationship, the loss of freedom or a major loss.
Of the 12 Indian Health Service agencies, the Aberdeen Area agency had the third-highest suicide rate for American Indians. The agency area includes South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa.
On a national scale, 322 of about 31,000 deaths by suicide throughout the United States were committed by Indians, said Louisa Holmes, a prevention specialist for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center.
Holmes also noted on Wednesday that a high majority of the successful suicide rates occur in the western United States.
Statistics also show that within the Aberdeen area, Indian men between the ages of 15 and 19 are most likely to commit suicide.
Many tribal leaders from throughout South Dakota and North Dakota were at the conference, including Michael Jandreau, chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe; Ken W. Davis, chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians; and Spike Bighorn, former chairman for Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation.
Quinn, the eldest son of Bighorn and his wife, Roxann, committed suicide a year ago.
Unified Community Solutions will be hosts of a workshop, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, at the Howard Johnson Express, 950 North St., Rapid City, on Oct. 18 and 19.
Risk factors for suicide:
Biopsychosocial risk factors:
- Mental disorders, particularly mood disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and certain personality disorders
- Alcohol and other substance use disorders
- Hopelessness
- Impulsive and/or aggressive tendencies
- History of trauma or abuse
- Some major physical illnesses
- Previous suicide attempt
- Family history of suicide
Environmental risk factors:
- Job or financial loss
- Relationship or social loss
- Easy access to lethal means
- Local clusters of suicide that have a contagious influence
Sociocultural risk factors:
- Lack of social support and sense of isolation
- Stigma associated with help-seeking behavior
- Barriers to accessing health care, especially mental health and substance abuse treatment
- Certain cultural and religious beliefs (for instance, the belief that suicide is a noble resolution of a personal dilemma)
- Exposure to and influence of others who have died by suicide, including exposure through the media
Protective factors for suicide:
- Effective clinical care for mental, physical, and substance use disorders
- Easy access to a variety of clinical interventions and support for seeking help
- Restricted access to highly lethal means of suicide
- Strong connections to family and community support
- Support through ongoing medical and mental health care relationships
- Skills in problem solving, conflict resolution, and nonviolent handling of disputes
- Cultural and religious beliefs that discourage suicide and support self-preservation
For more information or to seek help for yourself or a friend with suicidal tendencies, call 1-800-273-TALK, or go to www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2006/07/28/news/local/news05.txt
By James C. Falcon, Journal Staff Writer
RAPID CITY - According to a study produced by the South Dakota Department of Health, 1,068 people committed suicide in the state from 1993 to 2002. Of these cases, 162 - or 15 percent - were American Indians.
Fain LeBeau was almost one of them.
In March 2000, he had attempted suicide in the basement of his home in Eagle Butte.
However, his father, Corbin LeBeau, saw what had happened and quickly got his son to a nearby hospital, preventing Fain LeBeau's death.
Both father and son attended at a suicide prevention conference Wednesday in Rapid City. The conference, titled "It Takes A Tribe . ," was created for Indian entities and organizations to meet and discuss ways to prevent suicide in Indian Country.
The title of the conference refers to the fact that, with the help of the tribal community, suicide prevention can become more widespread, helping to lower statistics - an opinion made prevalent throughout the conference.
"Suicide can affect anybody," Corbin LeBeau, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council, said. According to LeBeau, suicide knows no economic boundaries. "It changes the dynamics of a family. To end your life is permanent."
The LeBeaus were among many people who shared stories of either the suicide of a loved one or their own survivals from a suicide attempt. Mourning the loss of family members, "personal shame" and the divorce of parents were contributing factors mentioned during the forum.
The causes of suicide can vary.
Biological, personal/psychological, and environmental risk factors can lead someone to commit suicide, participants learned. A "final straw" factor could include such examples as a crisis in a relationship, the loss of freedom or a major loss.
Of the 12 Indian Health Service agencies, the Aberdeen Area agency had the third-highest suicide rate for American Indians. The agency area includes South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa.
On a national scale, 322 of about 31,000 deaths by suicide throughout the United States were committed by Indians, said Louisa Holmes, a prevention specialist for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center.
Holmes also noted on Wednesday that a high majority of the successful suicide rates occur in the western United States.
Statistics also show that within the Aberdeen area, Indian men between the ages of 15 and 19 are most likely to commit suicide.
Many tribal leaders from throughout South Dakota and North Dakota were at the conference, including Michael Jandreau, chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe; Ken W. Davis, chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians; and Spike Bighorn, former chairman for Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation.
Quinn, the eldest son of Bighorn and his wife, Roxann, committed suicide a year ago.
Unified Community Solutions will be hosts of a workshop, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, at the Howard Johnson Express, 950 North St., Rapid City, on Oct. 18 and 19.
Risk factors for suicide:
Biopsychosocial risk factors:
- Mental disorders, particularly mood disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and certain personality disorders
- Alcohol and other substance use disorders
- Hopelessness
- Impulsive and/or aggressive tendencies
- History of trauma or abuse
- Some major physical illnesses
- Previous suicide attempt
- Family history of suicide
Environmental risk factors:
- Job or financial loss
- Relationship or social loss
- Easy access to lethal means
- Local clusters of suicide that have a contagious influence
Sociocultural risk factors:
- Lack of social support and sense of isolation
- Stigma associated with help-seeking behavior
- Barriers to accessing health care, especially mental health and substance abuse treatment
- Certain cultural and religious beliefs (for instance, the belief that suicide is a noble resolution of a personal dilemma)
- Exposure to and influence of others who have died by suicide, including exposure through the media
Protective factors for suicide:
- Effective clinical care for mental, physical, and substance use disorders
- Easy access to a variety of clinical interventions and support for seeking help
- Restricted access to highly lethal means of suicide
- Strong connections to family and community support
- Support through ongoing medical and mental health care relationships
- Skills in problem solving, conflict resolution, and nonviolent handling of disputes
- Cultural and religious beliefs that discourage suicide and support self-preservation
For more information or to seek help for yourself or a friend with suicidal tendencies, call 1-800-273-TALK, or go to www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2006/07/28/news/local/news05.txt