Suicide in the Military

I have learned so much about suicide and hope that the posts this month have been informative and helpful.  I don't have any experience with the military, beyond being born on a Naval base (my dad was a Marine!) and dating a few Navy guys in my youth.  My research this month has been quite an odyssey, and as I continued to check links, I kept bumping up agaist information specifically discussing military personnel and the increase in both attempted and completed suicides.  Curious...I kept clicking links.  A 2008 CNN report Concern mount over rising troop suicides provided some insight.

The triggers for suicide (relationship issues, work, legal, finances, substance abuse and the like) are no different for service personnel than civilians.  However, the stress of combat and/or the horrors of casualties on mental well being can only be imagined.  Add in the stress of longer tours of duty or re-deployment, the stigma often attached to seeking mental health care and the ready access to firearms, and it becomes easier to understand the strain that can push someone to the brink and beyond.  According to the CNN article, Sen. Jim Webb, D-Virginia was concerned about the number of suicide attempt by members of the military, and introduced legislation to improve the military's suicide-prevention programs. 

The result...a comprehensive website, maintained by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, solely devoted to the mental health of our service men and women, covering topics such as Alcohol, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Drug Abuse, Returning Service Personnel, and more.  There are links to educational material and a handy pocket guide that is not military specific, and journalist Deborah Norville and actor Gary Sinese have collaborated with the VA to produce two excellent Outreach PSA's.

This week, as part of Suicide Awareness week, the Suicide Prevention campaign is piloting an online, one-to-one chat service for Veterans who prefer reaching out for assistance using the Internet. Veterans Chat, enables Veterans, their families, and friends to anonymously chat on-line with a trained VA counselor. If a chatter is determined to be in a crisis, the counselor can take immediate steps to transfer the person to the VA Suicide Prevention Hotline, where further counseling and referral services are provided and crisis intervention steps can be taken. Veterans, family members or friends can access Veterans Chat through the Suicide Prevention web site (click on the CHAT LIVE button). The Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline is available at 1-800-273-TALK.

I must admit that there are times when I am frustrated by how my tax dollars are spent.  However, I am grateful to Congress and Senator Webb in particular for providing the VA with the funding to protect those who put their lives on the line, to preserve the peace and freedoms we enjoy in this country.