Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Combating the Mental Health Crisis in Native American Communities

Over the course of this semester, I plan to research and eventually put together evidence relevant to solving the mental health crisis plaguing indigenous communities in America. A conversation regarding this topic is long overdue as many people do not understand the full impact colonizers or manifest destiny had and still has on native people and their cultures. The history is bloodsoaked and directly created the present conditions that Native Americans live in. Pervasive disproportion leaks into every aspect of the Native experience in terms of poverty, sexual and domestic violence, and, as readers will come to see from the work I have compiled, mental health issues. In order to come to terms with and address these issues properly, I asked myself, how can the Native American mental health epidemic be combated most thoroughly? Every source utilized in my proposal comes from Psychological, Historical, or Sociological perspective and serves the purpose of answering this question and thereby supporting my thesis. These areas of study offer a sensitive and personal approach to a topic that is overlooked and a population that is underserved. Each is vital as they both give context to the issue at hand and provide achievable and vital solutions. I believe that the Mental Health Crisis in Indigenous American communities can be combated by utilizing culture-based treatment and investing in continued research and legislation that empowers Native individuals. In this way, we will begin to see new and improving trends in the data collected on the well-being of the indigenous community in America.