From: andre cramblit <andrekar@...>
Subject: Suicide Prevention (health)



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

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2006/07/28/news/local/news05.txt



The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s mission is to provide
immediate assistance to individuals in suicidal crisis by connecting
them to the nearest available suicide prevention and mental health
service provider through a toll-free telephone number: 1-800-273-TALK
(8255). It is the only national suicide prevention and intervention
telephone resource funded by the Federal Government.
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/about/default.aspx




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]