The scourge of suicide struck Arctic Bay again last night. A young man chose to end his life, leaving behind a (very) young pregnant wife and three small children, and grieving family and friends.
I wish I knew what the answer was to this seeming never ending string of suicides plaguing the north. I realize that it is a choice that he (and others) made, but it is a choice that hurts the people that loved him, the most.
There isn’t a family in Arctic Bay that hasn’t been touched by this. The cemetery is too full of young people.
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I couldn’t sleep last night trying to think how to prevent incidents as those. My little brother committed years ago. But this was a little too close after one earlier about 3 months ago incident. There are a lot of questions in my mind…..
I know what you mean Joanasie. I wish I knew what the answer(s) is. There have been far too many here. I remember Carson well, and know that you miss him. Wish it was different.
Well put Clare. It saddens me deep in my heart. The graveyard is too full of young people and the questions of why remain unanswered. Where does the blame go and when will it change? Why is suicide chosen as an option sooo often?
Hi Annette,
I don’t think blame is the right word. I also sometimes think we look at the problem to simplistically, like it is a single problem. It is a poor choice, and I think that somehow we have to impress upon people (and it is not just youth but they are certainly over represented) that there are better choices to be made.
It is sad, tragic, enraging, senseless, purposeless. It is up to those of us still here to talk to each other, heal together and educate each other about alternative choices. I believe we need to ask more questions of our youth, encourage them to open up to each other and look out for one another. We need to smile at each other more, talk to each other more, laugh together more and cry together openly.
When one of our teens committed suicide earlier this year she had told people she was depressed and thinking about taking her life. That idea was never taken seriously by her friends because they didn’t know they should. It is up to us adults to educate youth about how to respond when a friend or family member talks like this.
I agree with those who see that people need to find greater meaning in their lives. Often that seems difficult to accomplish, but I recently spoke with a young Greenlander who talked of how kayaking has given him a way to find peace and meaning in his life, providing him with a vision of his future. Those of us who build and paddle our kayaks know it is a powerful tool which brings people together and provides meaning. Perhaps Inuit need some living links – like kayaks – from their past to forge a stronger future.
You are right Jennifer and Ian. Talking about it is important and perhaps some training would help. Part of the reason it isn’t taken seriously sometimes, when someone tells people they are going to kill themselves, is that (in my experience anyway) telling someone you’re going to kill yourself is often used as a form of manipulation. I know of some people who regularily say it. It is a difficult balancing act, letting someone know that the manipulation is wrong, and at the same time trying to recognize when the danger is really there. I think there needs to be multiple approaches to this problem, starting with more mental health/education resources in each community.
Your suggestion is a good one Michael, part of the solution comes from getting people to feel good about themselves. But again it is a much more convoluted problem that. I know of youth here that were well connected with the land and hunting, who have taken their lives. I wish I knew what all needs to be done. More often than not the trigger for these seems to be relationship problems so perhaps there also needs to be some sort of forum/training/help with relationships.