-
Alaska experiences some of the highest rates of suicide in the nation. According to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, the rates are 47.6 percent higher for Indigenous people compared with non-Indigenous people in 2019. And while many unknowns and factors complicate suicide prevention and awareness, support and new educational materials are increasingly available.
-
Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler says it’s a problem he and other top Army officials are thinking about and working on every day. He says there are some specific things about Alaska that factor in, but often it’s other issues in a soldier’s life that are exacerbated by being stationed in the north, in most cases far from home, that become contributing factors to depression and hopelessness.
-
Suicide can be a difficult topic to talk about, particularly in a state that is often ranked at the top of the list for deaths by suicide. We recently…