Send this article to Promobot

Teen may have found key to raising suicide awareness - compassion

November 19th 12:30 am | Carey Restino Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

If ever there was a confounding, baffling, frustrating and nearly impossible social problem to wrap your mind around, let alone design a program for, it is suicide. The only thing easy to see when it comes to the issue of suicide among Alaska Natives is that it is a daunting problem. There is a mountain of statistics to prove that assertion — Alaska's rate of suicide is nearly double that of the Lower 48. On average, 10 people commit suicide every month in Alaska, and 78 percent of those suicides are committed by men. Young Native men between the ages of 15 and 24 are the most likely to commit suicide, and of those, almost all have depression, substance abuse issues or other treatable conditions. The statistics illustrating the problem are plentiful. An explanation of why? Not so much.

This week, the Arctic Sounder spoke with an extraordinary young woman who, at the age of 17, is taking on an issue that many a leader has been stymied by. She is doing it with compassion and by sharing a piece of her own journey, and the response she is getting is remarkable. People connect with Tessa Baldwin's story, and unlike many programs promoted by non-Natives, her presentations appear to be reaching the people who need it most.

Baldwin's life has been steeped in suicide, from her uncle's suicide, which she witnessed at age 5, to the recent death of her boyfriend, this epidemic has inflicted wounds she will bear for life. But rather than hide those scars in shame, like many are prone to do, Baldwin is showing them proudly, allowing others to consider doing the same. Baldwin says the fact that people in Native Alaska villages are opening up and talking about suicide is new, and a big part of the solution. Let's hope she is right, and that her energy spreads to others, and helps unravel the mystery of why Alaska Natives are killing themselves at such an alarming rate.

At the recent U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs field hearing on the initiative titled "H.O.P.E. for the Future: Helping Our People Engage to Protect Our Youth," held Oct. 22 at Anchorage's Dena'ina Convention Center, Evon Peters spoke about his life experience, the number of people he knew who had killed themselves, and the inadequacy of non-Native programs to reach and help those at risk. Peters attributed the astonishing suicide rate among Alaska Natives to the sense that there is little control over one's destiny — as a community, a culture and individually.

Peters said that the root of this helplessness Alaska Natives feel — the emotion that is said to often lead to depression and suicide — is the colonization that occurred through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. He said that Alaska Natives are the ones who need to be building and implementing suicide prevention programs, and federal funding should be directed to that end.

Perhaps that is why Baldwin's program is working so well. It's hard to believe that one high school senior could succeed where so many millions of dollars and countless programs and efforts have failed, but perhaps that is the big lesson from this whole discussion. What Baldwin is promoting is a simple solution — show people that you understand, that you care, and that they are not alone in feeling so lost. She has opened the door for a larger conversation among Alaska Natives, for allowing the healing to come from within.

In January, a group of people will gather again in Anchorage to attempt to create a plan for suicide prevention from the state of Alaska for the next five years. Baldwin will be attending, and I hope she gets the respect she deserves from state bureaucrats. Sometimes it may be hard to accept that all the fancy bells and whistles, degrees and experience don't hold a candle to common sense and compassion. But it just may be that in the case of raising suicide awareness, this is the key, and Baldwin has found it.

 

Contact us about this article at editor@thearcticsounder.com

Copyright 2012 The Arctic Sounder is a publication of Alaska Media, LLC. This article is © 2012 and limited reproduction rights for personal use are granted for this printing only. This article, in any form, may not be further reproduced without written permission of the publisher and owner, including duplication for not-for-profit purposes. Portions of this article may belong to other agencies; those sections are reproduced here with permission and Alaska Media, LLC makes no provisions for further distribution.