The suicide rate among Native Americans is high and getting higher. This is a problem that needs to be addressed, but it’s not easy to do. There are many reasons why this happens, and they all need to be understood so we can work together as a community to help our people get better.

Reasons for the High Suicide Rate in Native Americans

The suicide rate among Native Americans is four times higher than that of whites. It’s also higher than the national average for Asian-Americans and Hispanics, who also have high rates of suicide in general. The reasons behind this epidemic are complex, but here are a few factors to consider:

• Native Americans’ history of oppression at the hands of European settlers has left them feeling disconnected from their culture and identity, as well as angry about what happened to their land. This can lead them down a path toward substance abuse or self-harm in an attempt to numb these feelings (or both).
• Intergenerational trauma—the idea that one generation experiences trauma from another—has been shown time and time again through psychological research on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which affects roughly 20 per cent of Americans over age 18 each year.

What Can Be Done to Help?

It’s important to remember that every person is different, and you cannot make them feel better. You can, however, provide them with a safe space where they can express their feelings without judgment or judgment from others.

The next step should be finding the right kind of help for your friend or family member: if someone has been struggling with suicidal thoughts before they came into contact with you, don’t hesitate to ask them what resources might be available in your area.

The Native American suicide rate is high for many reasons. It is important to understand what is going on and how you can help

The history of the Native Americans: The first Americans were Native Americans who lived in tribes and villages across North America from about 5000 BCE until Europeans arrived in the 16th century. According to the native American mental health statistics, they lived in small communities—typically consisting of 10–50 people—and had strong ties to one another through family relationships, marriages, clans and tribes. These bonds were very important because they provided protection against outsiders who might try to take over their land by force or trickery (like European settlers).