“A safety net riddled with holes”
A Department of Defense task force yesterday said the military has hundreds of suicide prevention programs in place. But they’re not working well enough to stem the growing number of servicemen and -women committing suicide.
309 men and women slipped through the safety net last year.
In a write-up by McClatchy Newspapers, the report cites these flaws in the system:
-The military doesn’t have enough behavioral specialists and suicide prevention officers, and that those it has need better training.
-Suicide prevention programs aren’t streamlined across services.
-Service members still encounter discriminatory and humiliating experiences when seeking psychiatric help.
-Unit-level leaders especially struggle with how to assist the men and women under their guidance.
The task force calls for the DOD to create a new office of suicide prevention.
I wonder what the suicide rate was last year for those in active military duty?
Compared to the non-military rates?
Just throwing a number out there without any references or comparisons is not illuminating.
Should have read McClatchy before responding.
Still, need more stats to have a clearer understanding.
For example: how many of these suicides were committed by people who came into the miliarty with mental health issues? What, if any, help were they receiving?
Also, we still need comparisons with non-military folks.
Suicide is terrible…not just for the person who sees this as the only answer to their problems, but for their family and friends.
Let’s get busy and real and help all suffering folks.