Embracing the Traditional and the Western: Indigenous Youth's Pursuit to Promote Mental Well-Being

The mental health situation of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon is critical. The Ministry of Health affirms the suicide rate in the indigenous department of Vaupés (12,2), is twice the national rate (5,07). This results from structural factors: historical trauma, loss of territory, violence, discrimination, economic precariousness and the breakdown of political, religious and social institutions. Youth migration into cities has led to acculturation, generating ruptures with cultural roots.