Uncomfortable Facts on Suicide Rates in Alaska

25 February 2012
8:10 PM

Sunrise at	8:16 AM	in direction	110°	East-southeast
Sunset at	5:54 PM	in direction	250°	West-southwest

Duration of day: 9 hours, 38 minutes (6 minutes, 48 seconds longer than yesterday)

There is a point in March or April when people are more than ready for break up, leaf out, and the advent of 24 hour light - full sunlight or twilight, doesn't matter.  I am already at that point, actually.  We did not go Outside for a winter break this year and I definitely would have enjoyed it.  It appears we may be traveling Outside quite a lot once we choose a treatment center for Gary's bladder cancer, but that wasn't what I had in mind, you know?  Besides, by the time we get it all shaken out, it will be moving toward May and then summer and that is the best time to be here, not away somewhere with too many people and lots of cars and noise, dagnabbit.

Then, since I was already feeling spring could come tomorrow and it would suit me just fine, I was reminded of a comment someone made (don't remember who, of course), that April was the month with the highest rate of suicide for sourdoughs.  The use of the word, "sourdough" in Yukon/Alaska also had its inception in mining, just as it did for the California gold rush.  But in the far north, an added meaning evolved to specify those who protected their sourdough starter in winter by keeping it close to their bodies.  It progressed into the notion of old-timers, especially those hardy individuals who lived alone or in small groups throughout the territory.

There are fewer and fewer sourdoughs, so I don't know if the comment is still meaningful.  But at one point, I tried to figure out why that would be so .. why would these old-timers give up just as things were about to get better?  Maybe it was the prospect of having to work so hard through the brief summer to make it through another winter on their own?

Well, one thought led to another and I remembered reading somewhere that per capita, Alaska had the highest rate for suicide in the U.S.  The Statewide Suicide Prevention Council affirmed that statistic and added several others, such as rural village life has the highest rate of suicide, especially among men.  Addressing the situation is complex due to the remote and insular nature of village life, but one program aims to address root causes through communication: Northwest Alaska anti-suicide program aims for roots of mental illness.

I don't have any inclination toward suicide, but in early fall of my second winter here, I knew I needed some help coping with the onset of winter coinciding with many events in my life.  I just dreaded witnessing the decrease in light and what I then still perceived as oppressive dark.  During my yearly physical, I mentioned it to my MD, who suggested a very low dose of prozac for a short term and upped my Vitamin D for the long term.  I took the pill daily while I weathered the stresses besetting us and openly faced winter.  Unexpectedly, the effect of this very low dose was to alter my perspective just enough that I was able to see how truly wonderful winter can be in Fairbanks.

But I think my experience is very telling in a few ways.  I have traveled throughout the world, held many positions in my career and in general, have benefitted from a solid education and hard work.  I brought skills and experiences with me to Alaska.  When I found I was not at ease with the thought of winter coming, my reaction was to do something to change that.  "Hey, this isn't the way I want to live."  I don't need to feel that way.  I also did make appropriate changes in my life to alter the sources of stress.

But what if I'd been born in the village, educated in the village, abused in the village, had no way to make a living in the village, and had no insurance to pay for prescriptions or counseling?  Would I have seen a way out then?  What if the only readily available way to modify my "perspective" appeared to be alcohol (a depressant) or other recreation drugs?  Would my mental health have been as strong if I hadn't brought another perspective of how life could be?

I confess, it troubles me that many people need help and don't get it based solely on circumstance.

Are you familiar with TV Land?  That channel, if you are not familiar, is devoted to reruns and the majority of those shows are comedies or drama/comedies.  They have added some first run comedies like "Hot in Cleveland", but you get the idea.  We tune it to that channel in my Mom's apartment because it is easy for her to follow.  There is an ad that comes on regularly with a gut-wrenching emotional punch, but very real.  A native teen is obviously distressed by what is happening in his home.  Later you see his feet dangle .. or the alternative - a friend talks to him, "Hey, I hear your Dad beat up you Mom again last night."  The narrator then encourages viewers to reach out to those who need help instead of ignoring it.

This ad is disturbing in every sense of the word, but I am okay with that - if it prevents a person from taking his or her life.