Integrating Worlds: Addressing Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health in Indigenous Contexts

Indigenous youth in Canada face significant and unique challenges related to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health, with almost 50% having a diagnosed chronic health condition. These challenges are shaped by historical and ongoing colonialism, which has disrupted cultural and traditional practices and led to intergenerational trauma among some Indigenous Peoples and communities.

This trauma has destabilized the traditional balance of physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental wellbeing. Intergenerational trauma is transmitted across generations through biological, social, and psychological mechanisms, making it deeply interconnected with the prevalence and impact of NCDs in Indigenous communities. Indigenous perspectives emphasize wholism and harmony, as reflected in the Medicine Wheel—a symbol that, while not universal to all Indigenous Peoples, illustrates the dynamic interconnectedness of four aspects of the human condition: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. These dimensions offer meaningful avenues for developing and implementing services for and with Indigenous youth that acknowledge and address the effects of intergenerational trauma.