Ethnic suicide

an avoidable phenomenon among indigenous children

Abstract

The indigenous population is particularly vulnerable to psychiatric disorders and suicide, as recorded worldwide among various ethnic groups and ancestral peoples. We present a case report to illustrate the psychopathological phenomenon of psychotic depression with suicidal behavior in a Karajá indigenous child, documenting the possibility of successful medical intervention to prevent suicide, despite the obstacles posed by the Brazilian
government that hinders the treatment of this vulnerable and at-risk population, clearly revealing the neglect of
psychiatric care for Brazilian indigenous children. Indigenous children seem especially vulnerable to psychiatric
disorders and suicide, even though they are culturally more isolated than adults and have had less exposure to non-indigenous culture. This serious situation and public health problem among indigenous people are still interpreted in a romanticized, inappropriate manner, with a strong sociological bias, to the detriment of modern approaches to mental health based on Neurosciences. Denying children access to treatment, regardless of or because of their ethnicity, especially when their lives are at risk, may constitute a crime according to the standards
regulating humanitarian treatment that our civilization has achieved.