Suicide: How Much Do You Care?

Filed under Behavioral Health, Resources by on September 30, 2010 at 5:29 pm {2 comments}

By Tim Poch, WTC STRATCOM

Approximately 450 Soldiers died between fiscal years 2006 and 2009, not at the hands of Al-Qaida or the Taliban, not as a result of a training exercise or traffic accidents, not from cancer or any other medical condition.

What has invaded our Army? Who is this unseen enemy? Who is taking the lives of our finest young men and women? The answer to those questions can be found in one word, a word that the Army states accounts for roughly 43 percent of non-combat Soldier deaths, suicide.

The above figures are from the 2010 Army Health Promotion Risk Reduction Suicide Prevention report. Even more alarming than these numbers is the fact that the rate doubled beginning with 82 suicides in 2006 and ending with 160 in 2009.

From January to June 2010, the Army had 145 active duty suicides which is more than occurred during the same time period last year, according to Tony Arcuri, Well-being Plans and Operations Division Chief, Headquarters Army Materiel Command, G-1, unfortunate proof that the suicide rate is not decreasing.

In a recent Atlanta Journal article, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, vice chief of staff, Army said, “these are not just statistics; they are our Soldiers and civilians.”

According to a recent article in an Army publication, reducing the incidence of suicide within the Army requires a holistic approach to improving the physical, mental and spiritual health of our Soldiers, Families and civilians. Focusing on the resiliency and positive life coping skills of our Army family will not only lower suicide rates, but will enhance the quality of life for our entire Army community.

One of the ways the Army is addressing this holistic approach is through The U.S. Army Public Health Commands behavioral health team which developed a program called “Ask, Care and Escort” or ACE. This new program provides Soldiers with the awareness, knowledge and skills necessary to intervene with those at risk. Some aspects of the four-hour training program include awareness, warning signs, risk factors and intervention skills development.

The point of the program is simply this – get involved, ask the tough questions, observe behavior and get your battle buddy help by escorting them to a professional.  Ask, Care, Escort.  It’s something we all need to do.

At the Warrior Transition Command (WTC) we take suicide prevention seriously. To help strengthen the Army’s suicide prevention initiatives, WTC developed a more comprehensive risk assessment, strengthened Warrior Transition Unit (WTU) cadre training to include suicide prevention and safety, added more AW2 Advocates, and developed a 6-part transition process for wounded Soldiers. Together, along with the other Army programs aimed at combating suicide, the WTC is taking the right steps–steps that will help save lives.

This month is Suicide Prevention Month and as I take another look at the ACE program I faced a realization. Have you noticed the middle letter of the acronym? The middle word and the center of the program’s tag line is CARE.

Caring is the heartbeat of suicide prevention. Get involved. Caring for your battle buddy, family member or spouse should be our number one priority and it’s one that I take seriously and I hope you do too.

If  you or someone you know needs help, please call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for immediate assistance.

Also please take a moment to read more about U.S. Army Suicide Prevention.

National Depression Screening Day

Filed under Behavioral Health by on October 8, 2009 at 1:48 pm {one comment}

As a part of National Depression Screening Day, the Department of Defense is offering free, anonymous mental health screening at U.S. military installations worldwide to educate Soldiers, Veterans, and their Families on the symptoms of depression and to develop appropriate courses of action. The effort is part of the Department of Defense’s Military Pathways program, which offers Soldiers, Veterans, and their Families the opportunity to take anonymous mental health self-assessments in-person, online, or over the telephone.

The free assessments help individuals identify symptoms linked with mental health disorders, provide contact information for clinicians and resources, and reinforce that facing personal struggles is a sign of courage. The in-person assessments involve a brief questionnaire and an opportunity to speak with a health care professional. For a listing of participating military installations, please visit www.MilitaryMentalHealth.org and select your state from the “Screening Locator” box in the bottom right hand corner.

If you are unable to visit a military installation, Military Pathways has also set up www.MilitaryMentalHealth.org to allow Soldiers, Veterans, and Families to complete confidential self-assessments online and over the phone 24/7, 365 days a year.

For more information on the program or to take a screening online, visit www.MilitaryMentalHealth.org or call 1-877-877-3647

Soldier Discusses Suicide Prevention

Filed under Behavioral Health by on October 7, 2009 at 9:34 am {no comments}

Last Friday, ArmyLive posted a video on YouTube from SPC Joe Sanders on suicide prevention as part of National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. SPC Sanders was deployed when he attempted to commit suicide, but fortunately for him his battle buddy was aware of the signs and was able to step in and save him.

To watch SPC Sanders tell his story and how his battle buddy saved his life, click the play button below.



YouTube DoDLive

Direct link to SPC Sanders’ video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47_ZIJvK5Mo.

For additional resources on suicide prevention, click here for a listing of all of the AW2 Blog entries from National Suicide Prevention Month in September.

Suicide Reaches Beyond One Person’s Death

Filed under Advocate Story, Behavioral Health by on September 28, 2009 at 11:00 pm {3 comments}

By Sue Maloney, AW2 Advocate in Seattle

Speak Up, Reach Out

Speak Up, Reach Out

As a child, a close Family member used suicide as the way to escape intense and unending pain. For him, it was an avenue to spare additional pain to his Family because he saw no other options. Even though there had been failed attempts in the past, on-going medical treatment did not resolve the recurring or underlying pain that permeated his life. The suicide of my Family member greatly impacted my life as a child, woman, Soldier, Veteran, friend, and as an AW2 Advocate.

In my experience, most people don’t really want to talk about any combination of mental health, suicide, and/or death. They are taboo subjects built on pain and shame and are often ignored. When people discuss these subjects they are generally whispered behind closed doors with elements of pity, blame, and shame.

There are changes in society, but they are slow in coming. Today, the Army, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, have all increased efforts to reach out to Soldiers and Veterans and offer them a different path from suicide. Instead of unending pain and hopelessness, there are resources in place to help individuals find a different way to live. I encourage you to identify local programs and national resources before you or someone close to you needs them.

As a friend, Family member, or Advocate, it’s important to watch, look, and listen for the warning signs of severe depression and suicide, which might include: threats of hurting oneself, increased drinking or drug use, a sense of hopelessness, increased agitation, feelings of being trapped, withdrawal, or risky behavior that could lead to death-accidental or purposeful.

It’s important to offer hope by getting help for the person who might be feeling lost, lonely, or desperate. Here are some tips that I’ve learned over the years: listen without judgment or advice; share your concern for their welfare; and ask them if they have suicidal thoughts or a suicide plan. If they are having suicidal thoughts, do not leave them alone, immediately call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK and push #1 for assistance with Veterans. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has trained counselors available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For additional tips and resources that are helpful to counselors, families, friends or persons at-risk, please visit their Web site at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

I encourage anyone who is hurting enough to contemplate death as an end to the pain to reach out to someone, personal or professional, and don’t give up too soon. If you are a friend or Family member, listen to your loved one, and help them to get to a professional who can help them work through their pain. You may need additional support as well. Getting help is hard work, but so is ignoring the symptoms and hoping they’ll go away on their own.

Suicide reaches beyond one person’s death; it leaves a legacy that touches so many lives for generations.

MHS Resources on Suicide Prevention

Filed under Behavioral Health, DoD by on September 21, 2009 at 2:56 pm {no comments}
Speak Up, Reach Out

Speak Up, Reach Out

Military Health Systems (MHS) has launched a comprehensive suicide prevention resource page
as part of National Suicide Prevention Month with a number of resources on suicide prevention across the military services and Department of Defense.

Below is a partial list of some of the resources that MHS lists on their Web site:

These are just some of the great resources that MHS has listed on their Web site, so be sure to visit their “Speak Up, Reach Out” suicide prevention page and help them promote it by placing the above image on your Web site using the code provided.

In addition to the resources listed on the page, MHS also released a new MHS Dot Mil Docs podcast this week featuring Walt Morales, who is the program manager for the Army Suicide Prevention Program. During the podcast, Walt discusses how the program’s policies are designed to minimize suicide behavior, thereby preserving mission effectiveness through individual readiness for soldiers, their families, and Department of the Army civilians.

Click here to listen Walt Morales in his podcast with MHS or click here to download it as an MP3 from iTunes.

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