A recent report has some alarming statistics about young people and suicide attempts in the Northwest Territories.

The report found that kids under the age of 14 are four times more likely to try to take their own lives than their counterparts in the rest of the country.

Assembly of First Nations Grand Chief Phil Fontaine says young people are crying out for help.

Assembly of First Nations Grand Chief Phil Fontaine rang alarm bells about the issue at the AFN's national meeting in Yellowknife last week.

The national chief says a lot of people in aboriginal communities are committing suicide, but he says even more people attempt suicide, signalling a cry for help that something needs to be done.

While it's hard to track the number of people who attempt to kill themselves, a recent N.W.T. report using hospital records says the number of children under 14 who were hospitalized for self-inflicted injuries was four times the national average.

Because of the small population in the territory, that means it may take only one or two cases to cause that spike.

But, Yellowknife psychologist, Tony Simmonds says that doesn't matter.

"It is something to be concerned about if that were down to half a per cent or even one person. There are some kind of trends on the go that certainly don't lead toward wellness and Northern kids." says Simmonds.

Social worker Sandy Little wrote the report for the territory's department of health and social services.

"The picture in the North is the numbers are higher in the younger age groups, so adolescents and young adults are higher than the rest of Canada for sure."

Little says the high rate of suicide attempts among children in the North is a warning sign for parents, teachers and caregivers.

She says it means many children may be feeling intense distress and emotional pain.