Suicide Proposal Essay

First Nations Youths aged 15-24 are 5-7 times more likely than their non-First Nation peers to commit suicide (Lemstra, Rogers, Moraros, Grant,2013). Over the past decade youth suicide rates on First Nations reserves has been steadily climbing with children as young as 10 years old taking their own lives (Fontaine, 2016). While suicide has always been a cause for concern amongst those in the mental health community, the current scale and rate of suicide among First Nations youth is especially alarming.

Although depression certainly plays a role in suicide and suicide ideation among First Nation youths (Lemstra, Rogers, Moraros, Grant,2013), more pressing issues related to colonialism, such as the living conditions on many reserves, a severe

Many government policies have been reactionary rather than pro-active and consequently, little has been done to halt this suicide epidemic resulting in many First Nation communities declaring states of emergencies.

There are several potential solutions that should be explored, such as: increasing funding for communities dealing with suicide epidemics, establishing a National Suicide Prevention Strategy, and investing in infrastructure to repair the crumbling infrastructure in Indigenous communities and reserves across

Canada is the only G8 country not to have adopted a National Suicide Prevention Strategy. The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention released a blueprint for a national strategy in 2004, and a second edition in 2009 (Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, 2009). To date, Canada has not adopted such a plan. Such a strategy, it said, is effective at reducing risk factors for suicide, while enhancing factors that build resilience at the public health and population level, and on the individual and mental health level (Olsen,2016)