Addressing tribal mental health among Indigenous Californians | Opinion
Content warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health or in crisis, dial 988 to reach the 24/7 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
The crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples’ (MMIP) just struck again, this time amid the annual February MMIP Policy Summit conducted at the Enterprise Rancheria of the Maidu Indians of California.
I had convened with tribal leaders and my state Capitol colleagues from the Native American Legislative Caucus to learn, listen and advocate for resources relieving tribal communities from the grossly neglected epidemic of homicides and suicides among First Peoples. The day after leaving the summit, we received tragic news about a potential murder-suicide among the Yurok Tribe.
One of the victims was Celinda Gonzalez, a tribal member and advocate for mental health resources and suicide prevention from the rural village of Weitchpec on the Yurok Reservation. Gonzalez’s life’s work was aimed at reducing murder and suicide rates among Native Americans, which are disproportionately higher than any other demographic.
In a news reports, Humboldt County law enforcement said Gonzalez was a victim of domestic violence. Hers is another more name added to the too-long list of MMIP victims.
Gonzalez was also a victim of the overwhelming lack of access to mental health services that plague Native communities.
The Suicide Clusters Among American Indian and Alaska Native Communities study prepared for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, reported that “American Indian and Alaskan Native communities have strikingly higher suicide rates compared to the overall U.S. population.” The study also underscored the potential for suicide clusters among adolescents and young adults that poses a heightened concern in these communities.
Native American children have a higher suicide rate than any other group of youth in the nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2023 the racial/ethnic groups with the highest suicide rates were American Indians and Alaskan Natives, with an age-adjusted rate of 23.8%.
We know data collection for suicides is also lacking among Native American communities. In other words, the statistics are likely much higher than what is currently understood.
This is not news to those of us from tribal communities. What is new are events such as the yearly summits and annual MMIP Week observances at the state Capitol, including the Capitol Candlelight vigil, where our people can come, receive support as they grieve and seek justice and healing.
Native people have been fighting this fight since our first contacts with immigrant settlers. Suicide remains a leading cause of death among Americans, and we will not see significant overall improvements until we see improvements in Indian Country.
California’s blind spot in this conversation continues to be Indian reservations and tribal people. It is time we bring adequate resources to tribal communities so we don’t continue losing our numbers — and our champions — in this crisis.
My heart goes out to the Yurok tribal community and tribal communities everywhere that know this issue all too well. Especially for those who have been personally impacted, join us whenever you can as we rally together to fight this crisis with you and for you.
Assemblymember James C. Ramos represents the 45th District in San Bernardino County. He chairs the Native American Legislative Caucus, Select Committee on Native American Affairs and Assembly Budget Subcommittee 6, which deals with public safety measures and the state budget.