Article archive / November 2020
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 11. Source pages: 1, 6.
Concerns Remain about Suicide Rates Veterans Honored During November, New Programs
Next week the country celebrates Veterans Day on November 11 and the President signed a proclamation on October 30 designating November as National Veterans and Military Families Month.
"Motivated by patriotism and love of country, our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and Space Warfighters serve at home and abroad with professionalism, ingenuity, integrity, and devotion. Their families always stand beside them in their missions and as they transition to civilian life," said the President.
Military Times published a list of restaurants that are honoring veterans with free treats and meals. At Cracker Barrel, Veterans get a complimentary slice of Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake when dining at any location on November 11. At Black Angus Steakhouse, Veterans get a discount on the All-American Steak Plate. Chili's will be giving Veterans and active-duty service members a free meal from a select menu and 7-Eleven is providing Active-duty, retired, veteran, guard, reservists and family members a free coffee or Big Gulp on November 11.
But concerns about Vet's well-being continue. While the Annual Suicide Report, published in August by the Department of Defense, indicated positive moves in program development, the suicide rate remains high with the concerning trends.
Across the Military Services, according to the report, suicide rates ranged from 21.5 to 29.8 per 100,000 Active Component Service members. For the Reserve and National Guard, the rates were 18.2 and 20.3 suicide deaths per 100,000 Service members, respectively.
For the Army Reserve and Army National Guard, the rates were 18.9 and 22.3 suicide deaths per 100,000 Soldiers, respectively.
From 2014 to 2019, the suicide rate for the Active Component increased from 20.4 to 25.9 suicides per 100,000 Service members. The Reserve and National Guard suicide rates did not show evidence of a linear increase or decrease from 2014 to 2019.
"Those dying are primarily enlisted, male, and less than 30 years of age, regardless of military population. Specifically, the greatest proportion of suicide decedents were enlisted (83.1% to 92.7%), less than 30 years old (50.8% to 73.4%), and male (91. 6% to 95.4%), depending on military population (i.e., Active Component, Reserve, or National Guard). Enlisted, males, and those under the age of 30 in the Active Component were at higher risk for suicide compared to the population average. The majority of Service member suicide decedents died by firearm (ranging from 59.6% to 78.7%, across military populations)."
The authors noted that the Department has made progress in developing and fielding programs targeting the populations of greatest concern.
The Department has developed and initiated pilot of an interactive educational program to teach foundational skills to deal with life stressors early in military careers, particularly those unique to young, enlisted members. Conducted Service member focus groups to refine the curriculum.
They have also developed a video training for Service members on how to recognize and respond to suicide warning signs on social media. The video – “Simple Things Save Lives” – is currently being evaluated before broader implementation across the DoD.
Also they have developed a partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide greater access to behavioral health services for National Guard members and their families, to include services provided during training periods.
And they have trained more than 2,000 non-medical military providers to provide Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) to Service members and families to increase awareness of risk factors for suicide, safe storage of lethal means (i.e., firearms and medications), and how to intervene in a crisis. Over 90% of counselors who completed the pre- and post-training test, experienced increased knowledge and counseling skills.
If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, please reach out for help immediately at 1-800-273-8255. Service members, along with their loved ones can also call 1-800-273-8255.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.