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Suicide Prevention Resource Center Suicide Prevention in Indian Country Cortney Yarholar 1/15/14
Suicide Prevention Resource Center
Suicide Prevention in Indian CountryCortney Yarholar
1/15/14
Four Functions
1. Resource Center
2. Training Institute 3. Technical Assistance
(TA) Center
4. Leader and influencer of science, policy, and practice
SPRC’s History Working with Tribes
• Garrett Lee Smith signed into law in 2004
• 2005 Cohort 1 - One Tribal grantee
• 2013 Cohort 8 – Fifty Seven grants to Tribes & tribal serving organizations
Youth suicide in Indian Country
• Second leading cause of death for ages 15-241
• Suicide rate for this age group is 25.48 per 100,000 people (2.6 times higher than national average)1
• 4 young men for every young woman1
• Youth ages 15 to 24 make up 40 percent of all suicides in Indian Country2
A note on data and surveillance…
1 CDC, NCIPC, WISQARS. 2007 data.2 Carmona, RH. (2005). U.S. Surgeon General’s testimony on suicide prevention among Native American youth, before the Indian Affairs Committee, U.S. Senate, June 15, 2005. www.surgeongeneral.gov/news/testimony/t06152005.html
Indian Country Challenges
• Large mental health burden
• Limited mental health services and resources
• Reluctance to access resources/stigma
• Large untapped human and community capacity
• Challenges to coordinated care between state and
tribal resources and services
• Crisis response systems are lacking
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Speak up or Type into the Chat Box
A Big Picture
“Comprehensive suicide prevention programs are believed to have a greater likelihood of reducing the suicide rate than are interventions that address only one risk or protective factor, particularly if the program incorporates a range of services and providers within a community.”Source: National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (p.36)
Protective factors
Cultural continuity and connectedness Religious and cultural beliefs
Family and community support Access to health and mental health care Restricted access to lethal means Effective problem solving skills Healthy coping strategies
Innovative StrategiesPeer to Peer Mentoring
Using paraprofessionals
Storytelling (Digital)Storytelling
Culturally Strengthening
Life Promoting strategies
Laughter
Understanding & Healing from Historical Trauma
Programs that work
Life skills development American Indian Life Skills Development
Awareness / Gatekeeper trainingApplied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)Native H.O.P.E. (Helping Our People Endure) QPR Gatekeeper Training Sources of Strength Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program
Programs that work Counseling and support services
CARE (Care, Assess, Respond, Empower)
Attempt responseSpecialized Emergency Room Intervention
Protective factors – more general in natureGathering of Native Americans (GONA)Project Venture
*See the Best Practices Registry and related resources for additional programs that can be adapted for AI/AN communities*
Tending to One Another
Bigfoot & Martinez 2011 13
Storytelling
Offerings/gifts
Ceremonies Blessings Rituals
Vision seeking
Sweatlodge
Old Wisdom
MeditationDrumming
Listening/watching/doing
Talking Circle
Extended Family
Singing
Honoring, Songs
Smudging, Prayers
Dancing
Historical rides/walks
Naming
Ceremonies
Society/clans/bands
Humor/teasing
Spirituality
Therapeutic Indigenous Practices
HumilityAcceptanceGenerosityRespectAcknowledgement
BigFoot 2008
Bigfoot & Martinez 2011 14
.
Traditions today in the Creator’s WayCeremony and rituals
PrayerOfferingsCircleSongsSimple Acts of giving
Our charge as helpers is to guide or assist others in finding this way of health that the Creator intended for them and us. That is the Creator’s work that we are blessed with and can be seen in the use of rituals and ceremonies. .
Resources
To Live to See the Great Day that Dawns: Preventing Suicide by American Indian and Alaska Native Youth and Young Adults www.sprc.org/library/Suicide_Prevention_Guide.pdf
SPRC’s American Indian / Alaska Native Suicide Prevention Pages www2.sprc.org/aian/index
- Getting started - Best practices & local efforts- Sustainability - Resources- Publications - Data sources
http://www2.sprc.org/aian/best-practices
Best Practices Registry (BPR) for Suicide Prevention
Section I: Evidence-Based ProgramsSection II: Expert and Consensus StatementsSection III: Adherence to Standards
On-line Library: Collection of resources and publications
Grantee Pages
State web pages: Each of the 50 states have contacts, data, and state suicide prevention plans available http://www.sprc.org/stateinformation/index.asp
The Weekly Spark e-newsletter
Webinars: Provides interactive presentations, lectures, workshops or seminars over the web.
Training Institute: Provides a broad range of core suicide prevention competencies available to prevention professionals, mental health clinicians, community organizers, and others.
SPRC Resources
Suicide Prevention Lifeline Number: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224
National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD
Crisis Hotline Numbers
