Study Reveals Stats About Native Youth Suicide

Study Reveals Stats About Native Youth Suicide

Friday, October 28, 2005 at 15:35

Depression continues to take its toll on young reserve residents, according to the coordinator of a nation-wide survey.

Jane Grey of the First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey says preliminary findings of a new study suggest depression is tied to things like drug use, early-age pregnancy and suicide.

Grey says that although suicide rates are higher among boys than girls, 38 per cent of girls thought about it. That’s over double the rate for boys.

Other findings conclude that about 40 per cent of reserve youth are overweight or obese.

Grey says the findings will be released in a final report next month, in order to allow First Nations to point to the statistics when negotiating with government leaders at the First Ministers Meeting on Aboriginal issues in Kamloops.