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Written by Hospital Commander on 7/9/2012 1:35:05 PM | 4 Comments
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I am not trying to establish a new acronym, but ‘suicide’ is both emotionally charged and is not accurate in all such deaths. Most importantly, ‘suicide’ is hurtful to those left behind and ought be applied with care. Such deaths come in so many variants, but they have one commonality: they rip the hearts out of those left behind. Variations of these deaths include suicide first. But abuse of all manner of our surroundings and poor exercise of judgment are common as well. Drugs and alcohol, wild risk-taking, abuse of motor vehicles, and abuse of fire-arms are but common examples. I won’t attempt to be exhaustive. I repeat: such deaths in the prime of life rip the hearts out of those left behind. Family and loved ones are forever scarred. Friends, colleagues and fellow workers, fellow Soldiers, even acquaintances will suffer from concern, usually unfounded: ‘could I have done something?’ We in the DoD and particularly we in the Army have struggled with this challenge in recent years. We now see we’re better than our sworn enemy with whom we’re in mortal combat, at killing ourselves! Our leaders, high and low, and our behavioral health clinicians have reached for new solutions: eliminate stigma, encourage counseling both by NCOs and Commanders and then professional counselors of all stripes. We have introduced new ideas, new tools, new methods. We have not limited search to our own community; we have welcomed and taken advice from experts across the Nation. Yet we continue to see increasing death rates. We certainly are counting every case and digging into every tragedy. But I won’t ascribe the higher rates to more complete statistics. The stress of military life is and has been high. The Army is now, probably for the first time, fully focused. But society has always undercounted such deaths and doubtless continues to do so. In America suicides are attributed to other causes or quietly ignored for the sake of survivors. We in the military have, and have acknowledged, this problem, but we need higher focus across the Nation. I believe societal stresses contribute mightily to our problem. Does this make sense? I’m not sure there is sense to be made.
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On 9/18/2012 10:36:44 PM, Dave Root wrote: Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. This is a very important issue. Many of us have been touched in some way by this terrible tragedy. What can we do if someone says they are going to kill themselves? What signs will we see if someone is considering suicide? Are there signs that someone has decided to commit suicide? How can we help in those situations? How do you stop someone? I would like to help others with this problem, what can I do? What can I say to help without making things worse?
On 7/23/2012 2:22:55 PM, Hospital Commander wrote: Ms Young, Thank you for your very helpful comment. The RESPECT.Mil program has wonderful resources for Soldiers, and I encourage all to take advantage of it as needed.
On 7/19/2012 2:10:25 PM, Lisa Young wrote: According to the article Suicides are surging among US troops. June 8th, 2012 http://medicalxpress.com/news/201206suicidessurgingtroops.html The 2012 activeduty suicide total of 154 through June 3 compares to 130 in the same period last year, an 18 percent increase. Here at Fort Knox soldiers are not alone, they do have a lifeline. There is a fairly new program called RESPECTMil to help the soldier deal with life’s stressors. We at RESPECTMil are here for the soldier. Soldiers having symptoms of depression, PTSD, anxiety or any number of stressors can be referred to the RESPECTMil program by their Primary Care Provider. In the program are RCFs RespectMil Care Facilitators who are licensed registered nurses who are invested in helping the soldier feel better. We work closely with the Primary Care Clinician and serves as a connection between the soldier and the care provider. For more information soldiers can visit us on the IACH website. http://www.iach.knox.amedd.army.mil/body.asp?M=1&PI=171&SPI=104&HS=True&HL=True
On 7/9/2012 3:09:49 PM, Barbara Boswell wrote: The famous comment it's takes a village to raise a family should apply to this subject as well. The Army Family which includes the Civilians need to be aware of the the needs of those around us before there is yet another catastrophic incident . If our motto truly is because we care then we need to be there to lend the ear or helping hand to those who preserve the dignity of our country .