My work on Indian suicide has taken me to some fairly depressing places. Perhaps none more depressing than this. It seems that a number of American Indian veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are committing suicide at an alarming pace. More than their white and black counterparts, Indian veterans seem to be severely effected by illnesses such as PTSD, depression, and other assoiciated maladies.
Few organizations have responded and the VA is slower than ever, but there is hope. Mental health workers are looking for new ways to help Indian veterans. In some parts of the U.S. specialists are combining modern thearpeutic measures with traditional healing practices (sweat lodges seem most popular). Also, the mental health community is asking tribal elders to encourage returnig soldiers to seek medical help. This is promising, and wonderfully culturally sensative, but success seems to be lacking. It appears that Indian veterans are more susceptiable to combat trauma than non-Indians.
Studies of returning Viet Nam vets showed that Indians were twice as likely to suffer PTSD as other vets. No one has yet explored the depths of combat trauma among Indian vets from our current wars, but mental health workers anticpate levels as high or higher than Viet Nam. 18,000-22,000 Indians currently serve in every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces according to the Defense Department. The Army has also released a study that finds that 30% of the returning troops suffer from depression, anxiety, or PTSD.
The approach of combining traditional healing practices and modern mental health treatments will hopefully take care of this problem. It's nice to finally see the federal government taking notice of Indian people, despite the nature of the situation.
