SUICIDES IN THE ARCTIC ZONE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SAKHA (YAKUTIA) AND THE AMERICAN INDIANS– RESIDENTS OF ALASKA

Suicide prevention is a topical issue in modern healthcare. There are northern regions in the Russian Federation where the suicide rate exceeds Russian indicators by 2.8-3 times. The purpose of this study is a comparative analysis of the suicidal index (SI) in the Arctic zone of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and among American Indians – residents of Alaska, to identify the main factor contributing to the widespread suicidal behavior among residents of the Far North. Materials and methods of research. A comparative analysis of the materials of the organizational and methodological department of the State Budgetary Institution of the RS(Ya) “Yakut Neuropsychiatric Dispensary”, as well as data from the territorial body of the Federal State Statistics Service for the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) on the mortality of the population of the Arctic zone of the RS(Y) from suicide and statistical data on suicides of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control of the USA – CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for 2018 and 2021 . It was found that from 2018 to 2021, the SI increased among residents of the Arctic zone of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) by 34 %. For American Indians living in Alaska, the SI increased by 23 % over the same period of time. The SI for 2018 for residents of the Arctic zone of the Republic of Yakutia is 2.6 times higher than for residents of the Russian Federation. The suicide index (SI) for 2018 among American Indians – residents of Alaska is 1.6 times higher than that of residents of the United States. The SI for 2021 for residents of the Arctic zone, the RS(Ya) is 4 times higher than for residents of the Russian Federation. The SI for 2021 the American Indian population of Alaska is 2 times higher than that of the residents of the United States. It was established that there are two regions in the world with extremely high suicide rates – Greenland and Chukotka Autonomous District in the Russian Federation. Both regions differ from other parts of the world in that they are located at the highest geographical latitudes. These are territories with the most extreme living conditions. The Arctic zone of the RS(Ya) belongs to the coldest regions of the Russian Federation. Remoteness from the central regions and extreme living and working conditions lead to a shortage of personnel in the Arctic zone of the RS(Ya) of psychiatrists. Consequently, the extremely high suicide rate in the Arctic zone of the RS(Ya) is influenced by the difficulty of accessing necessary psychiatric care and the lack of preventive mental health work.

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