The Army continues to be committed to preventing suicide among its Soldiers, DA Civilians, Family Members and Retirees. Suicide prevention is a top priority for the Army, and it places emphasis on suicide prevention every day of the year.
September is Suicide Prevention Month, and during this month, the Army elevates the conversation of suicide prevention to bring into focus the dynamic, complex and challenging issue of suicide, resources available to identify and assist personnel in need of help dealing with life issues along with the tremendous impact it can have on those family members, friends and teammates left behind and its impact on readiness.
The chief executor and subject matter experts for Suicide Prevention Month is your installation’s Suicide Prevention Program Manager (SPPM). The SPPM is responsible for coordinating all training, guest presenters and events for their respective installations. They serve as leaders’ primary point of contact.
This year’s DoD Suicide Prevention Month theme, Connectedness, illuminates the incredibly important role and support each of us play within our family units, organizations and our communities.
In support of this theme, the Suicide Prevention Month 2020 slogan is “Connect to Protect.” The slogan emphasizes the important role we all play in taking care of one another.
By staying connected, we can continue to support one another through difficult times, provide comfort and strengthen when confronted with difficult life issues, and be an ever steady and ready advocate for one another.
We can continue to strengthen and expand fostering an environment and culture that not only supports help seeking behavior, but encourages it. Army senior leaders have stated, seeking help for any issue professional or in one’s private life is a sign of strength, not weakness. Seeking help highlights maturity, self-awareness, and the understanding that we all need help at different times in our lives.
As leaders continue to have engaged conversations both up and down the chain of command to support, advise and provide assistance and resources to those in their formations, everyone is encouraged to seek out their local SPPM for information, resources and assistance for installation Soldiers, Civilians, Family Members and Retirees.
For more information on Suicide Prevention Month material, please visit the Army Resilience Directorate site at this link.
https://marcomcentral.app.pti.com/printone/login.aspx?uigroup_id=591698
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