July was selected as National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in 2008 by the US House of Representatives. This gives the treatment community an opportunity to devote an article, special event, or utilizing other channels to create awareness around diverse communities. Sovereign Health wanted to devote segments of the July Newsletter to promote these efforts. American Indian and Alaskan Native Communities Struggle with High Rates of Addiction and Mental Health Conditions American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN) communities, from cities to reservations, continue to be riddled with high rates of alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental illness. According to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health report, nearly 1 in every 5 AIAN adults needed treatment due to an alcohol and drug problem, which is almost double the national average.And, according to a 2010 publication by the Office of Minority and National affairs of the American Psychiatry Association, "Native Americans use and abuse alcohol and other drugs at younger ages, and higher rates, than all other ethnic groups". Mental illness is also a major problem. According to theUS Department of Health and Human Services, AIAN adults are more likely to endure "serious psychological distress", and experience "feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness" then the general population. A National Alliance of Mental Illness fact sheet reports that mental illness effects "approximately 20%" of the total AIAN population. And tragically, according to the American Psychiatry Association suicide is the second leading cause of death for AIANs between the ages of 10 to 34. Written by: John T. Bender and Rachel Angerman  Comments or Questions:RecoveryAllies@yahoo.com Learn More by Visiting the US Department of Health and Human Services: The Office of Minority Healh: Click Here to Visit Their Website References: 1 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The Office of Applied Studies. (2010) Substance Use Among Native American or Alaskan Native Adults. The NSDUH Report. Retrieved July 3rd, 2012, fromhttp://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k10/182/AmericanIndianHTML.pdf. 2 American Psychiatric Association. The Office of Minority and National Affairs. (2010) Mental Health Disparities: American Indians and Alaskan Natives. The APA Fact Sheet. Retrieved July 3rd, 2012, fromwww.psychiatry.org/.../Practice/.../Fact-Sheet---Native-Americans.pdf. 3 US Department of Health and Human Services. The Office of Minority Health. (2010) Mental Health and American Indians/Alaskan Natives. Mental Health Status. Retrieved July 4th, 2012, fromhttp://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=6475. 4 National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI).American Indian and Alaskan Native Women and Depression. Fact Sheet. Retrieved July, 4th, 2012, from http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Women_and_Depression&Template;=/ContentManagement/ ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=88885 ...read more