I am here today because my ancestors, starving as they often were, fought to survive. Why did the old people strive to live ... and the young people now want to die?

Suicide among First Nations youth has been occuring at an alarming rate in recent years. Statistics show an Aboriginal suicide rate two to three times higher than the non-Aboriginal rate for Canada, and within the youth age group the Aboriginal suicide rate is estimated to be five to six times higher than that of non-Aboriginal youth.

Suicide Statistics for Nishnawbe Aski Nation

Within NAN territory there have been over 300 suicides since 1986. You can download our most current suicide statistics here in Excel spreadsheet format

Experts in the field suggest that a suicidal person is feeling so much pain that they can see no other option. They feel that they are a burden to others, and in desperation see death as a way to escape their overwhelming pain and anguish. The suicidal state of mind has been described as constricted, filled with a sense of self-hatred, rejection, and hopelessness.

The rate of suicide among Aboriginal people in Canada for all age groups is 2 to 3 times higher than the rate among non-Aboriginal people. It is 5 to 6 times higher among Aboriginal youth than among their non-aboriginal peers (RCAP).

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in Canadian youth ages 13-19 and the leading cause for those ages 25-34. Youth deaths by suicide account for more than 15,000 years of potential life lost in Canada each year. Males kill themselves three times more often than females, partly because they use more lethal methods.

Across the lifespan, Aboriginal youth from 15-25 are at the highest risk of suicide. Those living on a reserve are 6 times more likely to die by suicide than their non-native peers; those living within cities have a suicide rate equal to non-native youth. First Nations/Inuit girls are eight times more likely to commit suicide and First Nations/Inuit boys are five times more likely than their non-Aboriginal counterparts.

Over 40% of non-native people and 60% of Aboriginal people who die by suicide were intoxicated at the time of their attempt.

Sexual abuse can increase a person's suicide risk 9 nine times, as does a history of suicide in the family. Repeated suicide attempters are 20 times more likely to die from suicide.

Gay, lesbian and bisexual youth are up to six times more likely to die by suicide due to the homophobic discrimination, lack of healthy role models and lack of support.

There is a wide and demoralizing ripple effect form almost every Aboriginal suicide through a chain of interconnected families and communities. Some people in the chain are vulnerable to copycat suicides and othe self-destructive responses in their turn.