You never forget a suicide, said Sen. Byron Dorgan, describing the lasting impact of a friend who took his own life. "It's something you never, ever, ever forget. It's as if it happened 10 seconds ago " Dorgan chaired the Senate hearings about the suicide epidemic among Native American teens. Last week, they heard descriptions about disparities in resources and delays in getting services in the underfunded Indian Health Service. Additional presentations included information about how taboos about talking about death are a cultural impediment to early intervention even with models of screening for successful prevention.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents and teens, with nine out of 100,000 taking their own lives nationwide. This compares to Indian communities where as many as 128 young people per 100,000 do. Among the witnesses was Coloradas Mangas, 15-year old, who described five different friends whom he knows personally who have taken their own lives on the Apache Reservation where he lives in New Mexico.

Two years ago, said another witness, Hunter Genia from Michigan, the behavioral health program for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe had an average of 60 people waiting three months or more to receive mental health services. Last year Dorgan submitted a bill (S 1635) for a demonstration project to expand services through telecommunication behavioral health programs..

This week SAMHSA announced a new campaign to distribute public service announcements aimed at preventing teen suicide.