Many people believe that Native Americans are a disadvantaged group of individuals in many ways. Culturally, in that many cultures of the various tribes of the Americas were taken from them by Europeans and their descendants. Socially, in the sense that they are distinguished from other minorities in the United States because of their extra-constitutional status; and even medically, stemming from the general belief that indigenous people are at higher risk of disease than other ethnicities due to tobacco and alcohol use, especially when consumed together (Falk, Hiller-Sturmhöfel and Yi, 2006). Mental illness is an addition. to all the previously listed perceived disadvantages of Native Americans by those of other ethnicities. Many believe that Native Americans are at higher risk of mental illness than those of European descent. Many also believe that Native Americans have more people suffering from depression than their white counterparts (Stark and Wilkins, American Indian Politics and the American Political System, 2011). Studies have been conducted to test whether or not this is the case, with mixed results. Some studies indicate that indigenous people are at higher risk, while others say the opposite. This discrepancy makes the answer unclear. If indigenous people are at higher risk and have more people suffering from depression than individuals of European descent, the question to ask is "why?" » There are several factors at play in depression and other mental illnesses, including biology, social status, background, family, and any pre-existing or comorbid illnesses that might contribute to or cause depression. It's not common knowledge, but people may be genetically predisposed to developing depression during their lifetime. their life. Depression is hereditary. It can be passed across the middle of a sheet of paper......h/boarding/carlisle.htmMiriam, L. (1928). The problem of Indian administration. Maryland, MD: The Lord Baltimore Press. Excerpted from Alaskool. Rhoades-Kerswill, S. (November 24, 2013). Native American Studies. Retrieved from online class: https://oc.okstate.edu/d2l/le/content/906677/HomeSamaan, R.A. (2000). The influences of race, ethnicity, and poverty on children's mental health. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 100-110. Stark, HK and Wilkins, DE (2011). Native American Politics and the American Political System. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Walker, CA (2001). Meanings of indigenous illnesses: depression and suicide. Thesis Abstracts International, 1.Yellow Horse Brave Heart, M. and DeBruyn, LM (2013). THE INDIAN-AMERICAN HOLOCAUST: HEALING FROM UNRESOLVED HISTORICAL GRIEF. The American Indian Holocaust, 63.