Suicide among the military and veteran community is becoming as common as drinking that morning cup of coffee each day. And that is not a good thing. Despite best efforts to promote awareness, train people to recognize the signs and other preventative efforts have not resulted in any of the rates going down. Drug use, attempted suicides and successful suicides are still happening at an alarming rate across all services and among the growing veteran community.
In a letter to commanders last month, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein reported that 78 airmen have died by suicide so far this year, a rate alarming enough to spur the service to order an Air Force-wide safety-focused “stand down,” where all units were tasked to stop operations for a day to address the issue with forums, education and other interventions.
But there-in may lie the crux of the real problem. Just as there is such a phenomenon as drinking too much water, there exists such a thing as too much awareness and focus on suicide prevention.
Kim Ruocco, TAPS vice president, suicide postvention and prevention writes that focusing solely on prevention may inadvertently stigmatize survivors, peers and providers with subtle messages of guilt, shame and blame. Highlighting what was missed, or should have been caught, may just reinforce the torment they are already wrestling with.
The VA cites economic pressures, broken relationships, health problems and loneliness are among more than 30 factors that can increase the risk of suicide among retired and active-duty military personnel.
So they key is to get to the root of these problems before they become so pervasive that the individual involved does not see any other way out other than suicide.
The VA has done a fairly good job in identifying those at risk and treating them with effective therapies which involve a combination of complimentary and alternative medicines (Reiki, Yoga, Meditation, Massage etc) and traditional talk therapies.
At the national level, the VA this year launched a multimillion-dollar social media and ad campaign to find veterans who may be at elevated risk of suicide.
The VA’s suicide prevention division has spent $12 million on outreach in 2018, including $1.5 million on paid media. This year’s suicide prevention outreach budget is $20 million, according to the VA.
In addition, local suicide prevention coordinators connected to the VA’s 170 medical centers nationwide held more than 20,000 outreach events to contact veterans at risk for suicide, according to the VA. As a result, they are now managing care for nearly 11,000 veterans, according to the agency.
The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF)
Ohio Suicide Prevention Month events
The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) - Toledo
Map Unavailable
Date/Time Date(s) - 09/09/2019 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location Fireside Church
Registration begins at 8:00AM on the day of training.
This date is for the role-play workshop.
The CAMS model is used to assess patients’ suicidality and specifically treat their suicide risk. CAMS is a three-part training that provide psychologists and counselors with knowledge, skills, and practice in recognizing and treating suicidality in patients.
All participants take:
A 3-4 hour, self-paced online training. This training features a series of videos which provide an overview of the CAMS model and how to help suicidal patients.An in-person 1 day training. This training is conducted by a trained CAMS consultant who leads group members in using the CAMS model through a series of role-play sessions where participants take turns acting as both counselors and patients.Group consultation follow up calls. These follow-up calls are offered to participants as ways to discuss successes and trouble-shoot the implementation of the CAMS model with patients.
Through the 3-part training, professionals are provided with the needed knowledge, skills, and confidence to help patients who struggle with suicide ideation.
More information on CAMS is available at: http://cams-care.com/
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) for Ohio's Service Members - Columbus
Date/Time Date(s) - 09/10/2019 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location 121st Air Wing
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a workshop designed for any community member to learn how to help others in distress. MHFA provides service members, veterans & their families with the skills to recognize peer distress, provide support, & refer individuals to mental health services when needed.
The full-day workshop includes:
1) A full-day, interactive workshop: This FREE workshop features U.S. veteran instructors, interactive activities, role-play demonstrations, & videos to educate participants in recognizing signs of poor mental health & supporting one another.
2) A paper-back MHFA manual: All participants receive a free copy of the Mental Health First Aid manual which they can use to remember core content & crisis de-escalation steps to help those in distress in their communities.
Click HERE to register at NO COST: http://www.cvent.com/d/tyqzls
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) for Ohio's Service Members - Columbus
Map Unavailable
Date/Time Date(s) - 09/27/2019 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a workshop designed for any community member to learn how to help others in distress. MHFA provides service members, veterans & their families with the skills to recognize peer distress, provide support, & refer individuals to mental health services when needed.
The full-day workshop includes:
1) A full-day, interactive workshop: This FREE workshop features U.S. veteran instructors, interactive activities, role-play demonstrations, & videos to educate participants in recognizing signs of poor mental health & supporting one another.
2) A paper-back MHFA manual: All participants receive a free copy of the Mental Health First Aid manual which they can use to remember core content & crisis de-escalation steps to help those in distress in their communities.
Click HERE to register at NO COST: http://www.cvent.com/d/tyqzls
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