Many people believe that Native Americans are a disadvantaged group of individuals in many ways. Culturally, in that many of the cultures of the various tribes of the Americas were taken from them by Europeans and their descendants. Socially, in that they are different from other minorities in the United States due to their extraconstitutional status; and also from a medical perspective, resulting from the general belief that Natives are at greater risk of disease than other ethnicities due to tobacco and alcohol consumption, especially when used together (Falk, Hiller-Sturmhöfel, & Yi, 2006). Mental illness is in addition to all the perceived disadvantages of Native Americans compared to those of other ethnicities listed above. Many believe that Native Americans are at greater 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 & ​​Wilkins, American Indian Politics and the American Political System, 2011). Studies have been conducted to test whether this is the case or not, with conflicting results. Some studies say Natives are at greater risk and others say they are not. This discrepancy makes the answer unclear. If Natives are indeed at higher risk and have more people suffering from depression than individuals of European descent, the question to ask is, “why?” Several factors play into depression and other mental illnesses, including biology, social standing, history, family, and any preexisting/comorbid illnesses that may contribute to or cause the depression. It's not common knowledge, but people may be genetically predisposed to developing depression throughout their lives. Depression runs in families. It can be passed d...... center of paper ......h/boarding/carlisle.htmMiriam, L. (1928). The problem of Indian administration. Maryland, MD: The Lord Baltimore Press. Retrieved from Alaskool.Rhoades-Kerswill, S. (2013, November 24). American Indian Studies. Retrieved from Online Classroom: 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, H. K., & Wilkins, D. E. (2011). American Indian Politics and the American Political System. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Walker, CA (2001). Meanings of native diseases: depression and suicide. Dissertation Abstracts International, 1.Yellow Horse Brave Heart, M., & DeBruyn, L.M. (2013). THE AMERICAN INDIAN HOLOCAUST: HEALING UNRESOLVED HISTORICAL PAIN. The American Indian Holocaust, 63.