Stories of Loss and Ideas for Change at Suicide Prevention Listening Session

A guest post from Eric Morrison, assistant to Alaska’s Statewide Suicide Prevention Council:

Hearing a parent tell of the loss of a child is absolutely heartbreaking.

Hearing parent after parent stand up in a room full of hundreds of strangers on Tuesday and talk about their children who have taken their own lives emphasized just how much pain and sorrow the suicide epidemic in Alaska has caused. 

More than 400 people filled the Cook Room at the Egan Convention Center in Anchorage on Tuesday as part of a suicide “listening session” hosted by the Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The event is one of ten listening sessions being held around the country to address the Obama administration’s increased concern about suicide rates among Alaska Natives and Native Americans.

The numbers speak for themselves. Alaska Natives and Native Americans have a suicide rate 72% higher than the general American population, according to IHS. Young Native Alaskan males currently have the highest per capita rate of suicide of any demographic group in the country. And Alaska has the highest per capita rate of suicide of all 50 states.

It is encouraging to see the federal government begin to take action to prevent suicide. Tribal leaders across the nation met with President Obama last year on Native issues. The President was troubled by the suicides in Alaska, said Dr. Rose Weahkee, director of the Division of Behavioral Health at the Indian Health Service.

IHS is listening to public comments, concerns and recommendations made at these sessions to help shape the goals and agenda of a national Native American suicide prevention conference in 2011. If the other listening sessions are anything like the one in Anchorage, than IHS will have plenty of material, ideas and concerns to sort through.

Some of the main concerns and problems brought up Tuesday were ones often associated with suicide in Alaska – domestic violence, sexual abuse, bullying, drug use, and particularly, alcohol abuse. Barbara Franks, a tireless suicide prevention advocate and vice-chair of the Statewide Suicide Prevention Council, called those problems the “cousins of suicide.” And while these are still major problems in the state, she feels hopeful about suicide prevention efforts in Alaska and the momentum being built throughout the state.

Thirteen years ago, Barbara’s son committed suicide only days before his father died of cancer. Back then, Barbara says there wasn’t a place for suicide survivors to go for help. People weren’t willing to talk openly about the issue. Now people are finally willing to talk about suicide.  There are places where family and friends can go for help coping with the loss of a loved one to suicide. Tuesday’s listening session shows that – people coming together to share their stories of loss and to support each other in their grief.

James Sipary Sr., a suicide survivor from Toksook Bay who lost his son, described suicide in Western Alaska like a plague that has swept the region like the flu. James said it is time to declare war on alcohol, sexual abuse and domestic violence in order to prevent suicide. There is “no miracle,” but he encouraged Alaskans to put their heads together so we can reduce this problem for future generations. James wants people to “celebrate who we are” to rely more on elders and traditional ways of knowing to stop suicides in Alaska.

Bill Martin, chair of the Statewide Suicide Prevention Council, spoke about Alaska’s rich history of taking care of its elders, and suggested that we should also put our children “on a pedestal” and show that we are proud of our young people. Janice Jackson, Grand President of the Alaska Native Sisterhood, said it is the duty of tribal leaders to reach out and speak to the young people and protect them.

Many ideas about preventing suicide were discussed Tuesday. People asked for culturally relevant programs, including culturally based alcohol rehabilitation centers. Others asked for more suicide prevention materials on the radio, television and in newspapers and magazines. Some proposed mandatory suicide prevention training for teachers in rural Alaskan schools. Almost everyone concluded that it is time for the federal government to provide more financial support to reduce the rate of suicides for Native Alaskans. 

One of the more memorable stories I heard was from an elder.  She described suicide as “a bad fruit.” She said there are “good fruits that come from good roots,” but alcohol abuse and domestic violence are “bad roots” that have, over time, come to bear the “bad fruit” of suicide. Hopefully Alaska can come together to create healthy, good roots that will bear good fruit to nourish Alaskans for generations to come.

If you or anyone you know has talked about or contemplated suicide, there is help available. To talk to someone that can help, call Careline crisis intervention at 1-877-266-4357 or visit www.carelinealaska.org.