Inuit Suicide In Canada

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Suicide is a misfortune that affects many people and areas around the world in a remarkably significant way. One group, the Inuit people of the territory of Nunavut in Northern Canada, are a population that experience extremely high levels of suicide. In fact, Inuit youth represent the highest group to die of suicide. In 2002, 26.4% of all Inuit deaths that occurred between the ages of 15 and 24 were attributed to suicide (Health Canada, 2011). Furthermore, a study conducted in 2012 mentioned that 23% of Inuit 18 years or older reported that they had seriously considered committing suicide at some point in their lives (Statistics Canada, 2015). The exceptional pervasiveness of Inuit suicide is shaped by numerous factors and has a drastic impact …show more content…

Primarily, being a person of Indigenous Status is a very significant SOD itself, as it brings with it a history of colonialism, racism and oppression. The institutionalized racism of residential schools, as well as the cultural devastation and maltreatment they entailed has affected many of Canada’s Indigenous people, including the Inuit. This historical trauma severely impacts the well-being of today’s Inuit in a way that likely contributes to the elevated suicide rates in this region. Additionally, the lack of education is another SOD that acts on the Inuit community, as it has been noted that Nunavut has a 75% school drop-out rate (Hicks, 2006). Furthermore, Nunavut’s far-north location may intensify the impact of other SODs on the Inuit population as it creates difficulty accessing resources, and may account for differences in suicide pervasiveness compared with other Indigenous populations. Three SODs that are greatly affected by geographic isolation include social exclusion, food insecurity, and diminished access to health services. The combination of all of these SODs significantly increases the mental distress of many Inuit people, a factor that is strongly associated with the occurrence of suicide. Consequently, the influence of the many historical, social, and economical events that have occurred result in the issue of suicide in Canada’s Inuit population to be a complex and multi-dimensional

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