Suicide and Parasuicide in a Northern Canadian Native Community

This report describes suicide and parasuicide in a small, remote northern Canadian native community for a three-year period from 1981 to 1984. The overall rate for suicide was 77 per 100,000, with a rate of 241 for male Treaty Indians age 20 - 24. Parasuicide in the form of overdose was epidemic, with a rate of 7,722 per 100,000 in Treaty Indian females age 15 - 19. None of the completed suicides had previous contact with the mental health system or previous parasuicides. The public health implications of these figures are discussed.