DoD: Family stressors increase risk of suicide for younger Soldiers

By Damien SalasSeptember 19, 2014

DoD: Family stressors increase risk of suicide for younger Soldiers
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Soldiers between the ages of 17 and 24 have the highest rate of suicide in the Army, according to a 2012 Department of Defense Suicide Report. Of the 155 Army service member suicides reported by the Department of Defense in 2012, 61 percent were under the age of 30.

But why are younger Soldiers susceptible to suicide?

"Highly associated with suicide are relationship, financial and legal issues," said Jackie Garrick, acting director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office in an interview with the Pentagram. "It is important to provide the skills that someone needs to be resilient, to problem solve and make hard decisions and feel confident in their own ability to handle that."

These types of issues experienced early in life are difficult and stressful for young Soldiers, said Garrick.

"We find for those people who don't get help, they are worried about impacts on their careers," said Garrick. "But we also find that when you don't get help, problems only get worse and that has an even greater impact to your life and career and those around you who care about you."

Garrick said the DoD recognizes that suicide is not just a mental health issue, it is everybody's issue. There are a variety of resources available for those in need, including the veteran's military crisis hotline. The DoD and VA partner to provide 24/7 support at 1-800-273-8255, press 1.

"We are embracing the power of one," said Garrick. "The notion that one call, one act, one conversation can save a life and embracing the fact that seeking help is a sign of strength."

To raise awareness about suicide and encourage individuals to seek help, the Veterans Affairs and Defense Departments are expanding their suicide prevention and mental health training for healthcare providers, chaplains and employees who interact directly with servicemembers and veterans.

"Chaplains, unit members, family members and DoD civilian employees must have an awareness," said Garrick. "Feeling comfortable with asking the right questions and knowing how to ask the right questions provides the level of support and intervention required to make sure that people get to the help that is available."

Peer-to-peer therapy

Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Chap. (Maj.) Fred Wendel, also a priest of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, discussed his experiences as a U.S. Army chaplain with the Pentagram, including the types of issues he encounters, notably young couples dealing with relationship issues specific to military life.

"I have seen quite a few young couples struggling," said Wendel. "There are a lot of newly-married Soldiers and young families that experience deployment at least once. Communication breakdowns between spouses occur frequently."

Soldiers who discuss their issues on a peer-to-peer level provide an important aspect of suicide prevention and coping with life in the military community, according to Wendel.

Vets for Warriors, 1-855-838-8255, a peer support network staffed by veterans and family members, allows Soldiers and veterans to talk to peers, said Garrick.

"What we know is people are most comfortable reaching out at their own level," said Garrick. "Their first line of defense is going to be a peer that has been there, walked in their shoes and understands what the military experience is like, from a similar perspective. That is where peer support is really important."

Wendel said Soldiers talk to each other about their issues, regardless of whether they seek professional counseling services.

"A Soldier talking to another Soldier about however they worked their problems out, be it with me or behavioral health services, is good," he said.

Wendel said that during his time as a chaplain, he has become aware that the issues Soldiers face are not one-size-fits-all. His overarching message throughout his career is to provide hope, which he believes gives Soldiers a glimpse of the future.

"I know what beliefs my hope is based in, but I want to help Soldiers find hope wherever they need to go to overcome the issues of the moment and move ahead," said Wendel.

Soldiers of all different faiths, or who may have no religious background, are able to seek help from a chaplain of any denomination, he said.

Catching mental health issues early

In order to better inform suicide prevention programs and efforts throughout the military community, the DoD collects specific data about servicemember deaths to understand more about suicide from a public health surveillance perspective.

Though data of this nature takes longer to collect, consolidate and understand before it is fully released to the public, the DoD maintains one of the few real-time suicide surveillance programs in the country.

"Collecting and reporting data on suicides is constantly adapting as we learn more about the cause and manner of death," said Garrick. "There are differences in how states and DoD collect and report data, but we are working with the Centers for Disease Control, which collects state mortality data."

Mental health diagnoses, family issues, financial and legal problems are fields on reports that better help military communities understand the causes of suicide.

An agreement between the DoD, VA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is building a common data base - a mortality repository - so that data can be viewed from a more holistic perspective, she said.

"We are always fine tuning, updating and looking for better ways to enter data, consolidate data, and report data so that it is in the most meaningful format it can be in," said Garrick.

The DoD has worked on doing a better job of ensuring that all DoD suicide event report fields are being entered and that there is more quality controls with the data, according to Garrick. The individual armed services take the reports "very seriously" because that information informs efforts in their suicide prevention and intervention programs, according to Garrick.

For a list of crisis prevention resources, to include articles and hotlines pertaining to suicide prevention and intervention, visit DoD's website at: www.defense.gov/home/features/2014/0914_suicide-prevention/