Suicide rates among Native Americans/Alaska Natives are the highest of any racial/ethnic group in the United States. Suicide rates in this demographic have been rising since 2003. The high frequency of suicide among the Native American/Alaskan Native community, as well as the disparities in suicide circumstances among Native American and Alaskan Native decedents, highlight some of the inequities that this demographic experiences.
The suicide rate in the United States has increased by 33% since 1999, but for Native American and Alaska Native women and men, the increases are significantly greater: 139% and 71%, respectively. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Native kids aged 10 to 24, and the Native youth suicide rate is 2.5 times higher than the general national average, making these rates the highest among all ethnic and racial groups.
Native communities have greater suicide rates than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States, with suicide being the eighth highest cause of death for Native American and Alaska Natives of all ages. PTSD affects American Indians and Alaska Natives more than twice as frequently as the general population.
According to National Institute of Justice, more than four out of every five Native American and Alaskan Native women (84.3 percent) had suffered violence in their lives. This includes 56.1 percent who have been victims of sexual assault, 55.5 percent who have been victims of physical violence by an intimate relationship, 48.8 percent who have been victims of stalking, and 66.4 percent who have been victims of psychological aggression by an intimate partner. Over the course of their lives, more than 1.5 million American Indian and Alaska Native women have been victims of abuse.
Due to historical marginalization caused by genocide and institutional racism, Native Americans and Alaska Natives have lower health and socioeconomic results. These social determinants of health combine to produce a scenario that is harmful to Indian populations' physical and mental health. Suicide rates among American Indians and Alaska Natives are greater due to cultural isolation, alienation, and pressure to assimilate.
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