An Indian Community with a High Suicide Rate — 5 Years After

This report deals with the five year follow-up after a suicide epidemic on a Manitoulin Island Indian Reserve in 1974 and 1975. In the succeeding years, the suicide rate has dropped to a tenth of the level of the epidemic and has reached the levels for the rest of Manitoulin Island including the White and Native population. There has been a corresponding drop in the rate of violent death and of the number of suicide attempts. It is suggested that the multi-dimensional prevention and intervention measures reported here have contributed to a significant improvement in present conditions.