Force,
We’re
expanding our attack on suicide. Meaning, we’re going beyond all of the
programs and training in place and looking more closely at the
environmental factors that enable people to complete suicides. What
we’ve discovered is that easy access to lethal means is the number one
risk to someone with suicidal ideations. While this issue has been
politicized in recent discussions by society at large, what we want are
results, so this is an analysis of fact without regard to ideology.
Building
awareness and resiliency, and providing readily available crisis care
are proven methods of reducing the number of suicides, but these only
take us so far. We’ve made a dent in the number of suicides DoD-wide,
but even one is still too many.
Let’s
look at the statistics. According to a University of Houston study of
153 survivors of nearly lethal attempts made by young people,
approximately 70 percent of suicides occur within one hour of thought
and 24 percent occur within five minutes. So the overwhelming majority
of suicides happen soon after contemplating the act. Next, take into
account that 74 percent of individuals who complete suicide showed no
signs of mentally illness before the act. Finally,
approximately 75 percent of suicides in the military are committed with
firearms and two-thirds of those are not issued by the military. These
are statistics that get my attention.
The
easy availability of the means to commit suicide plays a significant
role. Many suicides are the tragic result of a temporary mind set
combined with easy access to a firearm.
I’m
not advocating for changes to laws dealing with the sale and background
screening required to purchase a gun. The topic of this post is the
difference shipmates and loved ones can make by taking action when an
individual is troubled. With the statistics above in mind,
doesn’t it make sense to acknowledge the potential threat early and
take the necessary action to avoid an irrevocable decision later? We encourage bystanders to intervene and ask for the car keys from those incapacitated by alcohol. Why
shouldn’t a shipmate or family member sit down with a Sailor in serious
distress and discuss limiting access to firearms if they are present in
the home? Come to an agreement to temporarily store them off-base, on base or lock them down.
Simply
being honest with ourselves and acknowledging our lives may be in
turmoil is the first step. The next step is to be responsible and limit
access to your guns until your situation returns to normal. It may be
the next day, it could be a month – only you and your loved ones know.
But removing the threat just in case things go from bad to worse, as
happens in life, is not only being responsible, it’s being smart.
Our
challenge is to raise awareness of the option to limit access and let
our shipmates know there is no shame in admitting their life stressors
have accumulated to the breaking point. Suicide is never the answer and the impact on the loved ones left behind is disastrous. It’s time to stamp out the scourge of suicides from our Navy.
Regards,
Clutch
This post should be read by all military personnel and their significant others and families and by all those working to reduce military suicides. Jacquiline Garrick Acting Director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office testifeid about her review of the 900 suicide prevention programs on March 6 2012 and none of them address lethal means access and gun access as the number one risk facotr for completed sucide. It is unfortunate that this comment is the only one in the 6 weeks since this was posted and apparently Navy Psychiatry did not take note of it./ CAPT Christopher Staeheli
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