Growing up off reservation or native community has ostracized me from ancestral background and the core part of who I am, but I do know their struggle. The poverty, lack of education and worse; the mental illness. Oddly enough it affects first nation people whether they are in a reservation or not. In my experience, mental illness is not treated properly or acknowledged in time. It leads to substance abuse for small fixes-speed instead of adderall for severe ADHD- these harm not only the person who is taking them but also the people around them. Researchers have found that Native Americans experience almost 2 times more psychological stress than any other demographic. It’s not hard to see why as Native Americans abuse substances like alcohol …show more content…
To bridge the gap, the underlying mental illnesses that are not addressed cause more significant damage to others which results in more mental illnesses. The access to care and treatment is limited to Natives which is what I want to change. Currently, most Native Americans cannot seek adequate treatment due to economic barriers, they cannot pay for doctors or subsequent pills. Additionally, access to mental health services can be limited due to location, health insurance and the lack of awareness. By going to Dartmouth I hope to expand these ideas of mental health awareness because it’s results could be an increase in Natives finishing high school and college creating a more educated generation. The Dartmouth Native American Program is one that aims to assist students in many areas of growth including personal, social, and intellectual; all of which can be greatly affected by an undiagnosed and untreated mental illness. My goal is to collaborate with the extensive network of Natives attending Dartmouth as well as faculty to learn more about brain sciences and how to raise awareness for mental health so that these are addressed …show more content…
A healthy mind should not be a privilege. How are Native Americans expected to thrive when they live in the type of environment that does not place importance on individual security and health. Some of the most common inflictions are ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD. To combat these in their own ways they turn to Alcoholism and the abuse of drugs. I firmly believe that with the right kind of medical help, the native community will thrive and prosper, rates of crime will go down as well as domestic abuse. By pairing with Dartmouth and the resources given to students it is not beyond the realm of opportunity to provide adequate research into these types of programs and to get a program of our own running. Dartmouth strives to educate Native Americans but often they are held back with the lowest graduation rates and the lowest average scores on standardized testing and it is known that mental illness affects performance in school. These undiagnosed and untreated illnesses hinder a child’s ability to learn and grow. It’s time for proper care for my
In a healthcare setting you will see different cultures that will come and go. It is very important to know how to deal with each culture so that you can help them while still making sure they are comfortable. Native Americans have many different characteristics because of the different tribes from all over the world. Healthcare providers should be familiar with them so they know how to distinguish them if needed. While knowing their characteristics they should also know how to interact with Native Americans as well since their culture is a lot different than ours, we want to make sure that we don’t disrespect them.
Under the Act, Indigenous people were forcibly removed from their traditional lands and relocated to reserves, often far from their original homes and communities. This practise of forced relocation disrupted Indigenous societies and resulted in the loss of traditional languages, cultures and ways of life (Wilson, n.d.). Forced relocation also had negative impacts on Indigenous people's health and wellbeing. The trauma and stress of being forced to leave their homes and communities led to an increased risk of mental health issue’s such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Indigenous people who were relocated to unfamiliar areas also had to adapt to new environments and resources, which often led to poverty and malnutrition (Onderkova,2015).
Alcohol is at the root of many stories of Indigenous people that are heard on television and the news. Alcohol always seems to be the root cause of car accidents, murders and assaults. The stereotype of the “drunken Indian” plays such a vivid role in way people perceive Indigenous people . Because of the misunderstanding and marginalization that these people face, they get stereotypes placed on them that do not showcase their culture and way of living but instead showcase the mistakes and problems that they may be suffering from. Instead of bringing up the mistakes that some Indigenous people are dealing with, there should be steps taken for these people to rectify the substance abuse problems that they are facing .
Indigenous peoples of Canada have been considered inferior to all other citizens, and have been abused and neglected through European history, and can be seen as a form of genocide. In Canadian residential schools, children were removed from the home, sexually assaulted, beaten, deprived of basic human necessities, and over 3 500 women and girls were sterilized, and this went on well into the 1980 's (Nicoll 2015). The dehumanization of Indigenous peoples over the generations has left a significant impact on society today; the generational trauma has left many Indigenous peoples heavily dependent of drugs and alcohol, and the vulnerability of Indigenous women has led to extremely high rates of violent crime towards these women. A report that
Although there are over 5000 indigenous communities around the world, the global responsibility to protect the indigenous is not being realized, since Indigenous communities still suffer socio-economical disadvantages, marginalization, discrimination and denial of justice to a certain extent. This is evident throughout the world, in nations such as Australia and Canada, which pride themselves on their nations freedom, equality and safely. Australia despite being a first world nation has immensely failed at protecting it’s indigenous population, most notably it’s Indigenous youth, since over 80% of youth suicides in 2010 were of young Aborigines. Early intervention is the key to protecting Aborigines, as commented by Social Justice Minster,
Throughout the history of the United States, there generally have been dozens of particularly social movements, which is fairly significant. From the African American Civil Rights Movement in 1954 to the feminism movement in 1920, protests for all intents and purposes have helped these groups basically earn rights and fight injustice in a really major way. Some injustices that these groups face range from lack of voting rights to police brutality, or so they essentially thought. The indigenous people of North America aren’t actually immune to these injustices, basically contrary to popular belief. Back in the 1968, the American Indian Movement generally was formed to for all intents and purposes give natives security and peace of mind in a
Canadian health services delivery has not been sufficient in serving Aboriginal women. Practices and policies of the system has continue to marginalize many aboriginal women in the health care structure (indigenous women, 2005), this is structural violence. “Determinant of health such as gender, cultural heritage, aboriginal status is influenced by the quality and quantity of a variety of resources that a society makes available to its members” (Donna, Jessie, Susan, Buffy, 2008). Many Aboriginal women have low self-esteem (Indigenous politics, 2005), these “internal struggles” have led to many health and social related problems such as alcohol and drug abuse (YWCA Canada). In 2001 the life expectancy was 77 years for Aboriginal women (YWCA
The government of Canada has made and applied many collective rights (that is, rights made and applied to specific nationalities of Canada) to protect and enhance Aboriginals quality of life by supporting native youth. Yet today, government and society have had little impact on both Aboriginal education and health (both physical and mental). Canada's government keeps on increasing funding- but what the government does not understand, however, is that money can not and is not the solution for all Aboriginal problems. So, what is? Firstly, we have to see what the main problems are for youth, what is holding them back to be the same as everyone else in Canada?
Aboriginal identity, mental health and suicide rates were outlined throughout this analysis along with the disgusting lack of government aid. As stated above, the aboriginals from the Kattawapiskak River have a strong sense of identity. The persons on these reserves are proud of their traditions and practice resilience in their faith and values, however, the physical and emotional pain these people are put through will soon break their spirits. They can only ask for help from the government so many times before it will be too
Canada is known for its amazing healthcare and it is considered one of the best in the world. In Canada, healthcare is ‘universal’ to its citizens under the Heath Care Act. However, not everyone has equal access to healthcare, Aboriginals being some of them. Aboriginals have trouble getting the access they need because of socio-economic status, geography, lack of infrastructure and staff, language or cultural barriers an more. Aboriginals on reserve face many barriers when it comes to access to healthcare, they include cost, language, distance, climate, education and more.
The United States of America is a land of freedom, a land of equality, and opportunity. We value independence and should look to exercise this in every form, as a nation. We must stay united and show respect to one another. This means we should not disregard ones ' ethnicity and culture, and use names in which are offensive towards their culture, in order to promote any sort of activity. This is aimed mainly at sports teams that carry racially inappropriate names.
Looking at the historical factors that effect Aboriginal women’s health, we need to start with colonization, residential school system, and the Indian Act. These combined to take away the Aboriginal peoples’ traditions, rituals, beliefs, and culture. Feeling and losing their culture was life altering for aboriginal women. This caused a negative impact on the community as a whole, with the outcome being negative and lasting from generation to generation. Causing the Aboriginal women to have less valued position in the community, tolerate abuse as an expectation, and struggle with culture identity.
• Identify a diverse group that you will be likely to counsel, of which you are not a member, and about which you have identified a need to learn more. The target population I would appreciate learning about, and working with, is First Nations/Native American students at a small liberal arts college or university at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). Traditionally, the age of college students ranges from eighteen to twenty one years of age; and these students are typically high performing high school students. According to Scholl (2006), First Nations/Native American students have an attrition rate after two years, underutilize counseling services due to mistrust, and experience high rates of suicide and abuse related to drugs and alcohol.
Disadvantage and marginalisation of indigenous Australian 's began with the dispossession of land, displacement of their people, and separation of families. Indigenous Australian 's have difficulty in gaining access, to the same degree, to what white Australian 's have ready access such as housing, employment and general services. Indigenous Australian 's are one of the most disadvantaged groups in this country in social and economic areas such as employment, housing, income, and health. The burden of poor health among aborigines is of particular concern. The health disadvantage of indigenous people begins in infancy and continues throughout their life.
The colonization of Indigenous peoples has dramatically affected their health, and health-seeking behaviours, in a myriad of ways. The Indian Act of 1876 was, in essence, created to control the Indigenous population. The Indian Act laid out laws and regulations that tightly regulated the lives of natives economically, ideologically, and politically. This included a wealth of ways in which their identities were stripped away, and in which they were taken advantage of by the Government of Canada. This has resulted in a reduced quality of life for Canada 's indigenous population, as well as adverse health problems, and prejudicial perceptions that we still see the impact of today.