Bismarck hearing discusses reservation teen suicides

The Associated Press

      BISMARCK, N.D. - American Indian reservations are seeing alarming teen suicide rates, said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who led a hearing Monday at the state Capitol with students, counselors and health experts.

      "It is a difficult and sensitive issue and, frankly, not easy to talk about," Dorgan said. "There are those who say, `Let's not talk about this because it will give others ideas.' That strategy simply has not worked."

      Tribal statistics show that 10 teenagers have taken their own lives on the Standing Rock reservation since 2004, Dorgan said. The reservation straddles the border between North Dakota and South Dakota.

      Other tribes also are dealing with youth suicides, including Minnesota's Red Lake Band of Chippewa. Authorities on the Red Lake reservation say a high school student killed nine people before turning a gun on himself in March.

      Six teenagers in North Dakota, including one Indian teen, committed suicide in 2003, the most recent year for which the state Health Department has statistics.

      More than 100 people, mostly Indians, showed up for Monday's hearing, which included a two-person drum group and a traditional prayer from Cecelia Myerion, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Three students from the Standing Rock Community School in Fort Yates offered their opinions about the roots of youth suicide on the reservation.

      Alayna Eagle Shield, a freshman, said young people on Standing Rock turn to drugs and alcohol because they have little to do. When teens do go for help, she said, there's often not enough resources to help them.

      "When there's problems with drugs or alcohol or an attempt or gesture for suicide, we need help right now, not to be put off because there's a waiting list," Eagle Shield said.

      "We shouldn't have to gather for grief or hard times. We should gather for celebrations."

      Dr. Charles Grim, the director of the U.S. government's Indian Health Service, acknowledged that community breakdown, substance abuse and other frequently cited causes of suicide play a role. But he said it's impossible to know exactly how they interact without further research.

      "Suicide is not a single problem, rather it is a single response to multiple problems," Grim said.

      University of North Dakota professor Doug McDonald, who directs a program aimed at bringing more mental health professionals to Indian communities, said little research has been done on Indian suicide.

`"While I'm typically an optimistic person, as all psychologists should be, this tide is rising with tsunamic force without any barriers to stem it," McDonald said. "We have come to the point where the most vital human skill, talking about problems, is not seen as productive or viable."