Researchers have long pointed to the importance of incorporating cultural practices into behavioral health care for Native Americans, but there is an ongoing struggle to ensure those services are accessible and affordable.
In past years, federal and state legislation aimed at increasing insurance coverage of mental health treatment has expanded the availability of Western services for many. But access to culturally responsive care and traditional healing remains limited. In the larger landscape of mental and behavioral health care, Indigenous communities face significant disparities.
Native Americans report experiencing serious psychological distress 2.5 times more than the general population, federal data show. And although overall suicide rates are similar to those of white people, there are key differences among certain age groups — with suicides among Native Americans ages 15 to 19 more than double that of white youth.
Traditional healing rituals have always been a part of Indigenous culture. Whereas Western medicine focuses on curing, often through the use of medication, Indigenous healing aims to reestablish harmony and balance – more akin, experts say, to “recovering one’s wholeness.”
Practices vary among tribes, but they typically include herbal remedies and ceremonies, such as smudging or sweat lodge gatherings, to heal and maintain mental, physical and spiritual health. And spiritual health is key, along with participation not only from the individual being treated but from loved ones or other tribal members.
Traditional services are free to Native Americans at facilities operated by the Indian Health Service, but supply can’t always keep up with demand at the chronically underfunded federal agency.
Read more at Tucson.com.
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