Photo By Sgt. Juanita Philip | Navy Lt. Jason Duff (center back) and the Joint Stress Mitigation and Restoration Team...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba – Suicide and suicide attempts have increased at an alarming rate throughout the military during the last few years. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, mental health, depression and stress are issues that are constantly discussed throughout the service branches.
At Joint Task Force Guantanamo, the Joint Stress Mitigation and Restoration Team is hard at work ensuring that Troopers get the care they need and educating the service members about suicide awareness. The JSMART staff includes one clinical psychologist, who is also a psychiatric nurse practitioner, six psychiatric technicians, and one general duty corpsman.
“The JSMART staff and I are standing by to respond to everything from sleeping problem complaints, adjustment disorders, [which include] people having difficulty adjusting to the mission and being away from family, all the way up to issues that are more severe like major depression, people with suicidal thoughts or personal traumas,” said Navy Lt. Jason Duff, the officer-in-charge at JSMART.
The staff is experienced in stress management, positive coping skills, assertiveness training, conflict resolution and relationship building.
According to Duff, although PTSD is a major contributor to combat stress, it is not the cause of every suicide.
Military leaders from all services want to help treat PTSD, because of how long the U.S. military has been in sustained combat. There are multiple research-based interventions that can be used to effectively treat PTSD.
Although the environment at JTF-GTMO is not an active battlefield, it is isolated and personnel are away from their families and friends for six months to a year or more.
“What is unique about GTMO is that many people work face-to-face with the detainees everyday,” Duff said. “They have to maintain such a high level of functioning here. The fact that we are constantly in the worldwide spotlight can create an intense amount of stress.”
Even though JSMART is there for the mental well-being of the Troopers, many might not seek the help of the office.
“There is a stigma attached to mental health, they [service members] fear if they come to us, they will be viewed differently by their peers or worse,” said Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kari Harty, a JSMART staffer.
The JSMART staff asks that leadership know their people—in the Navy it is referred to as ‘deck plate leadership.’ It’s being down on the front lines and recognizing changes and things that need leadership attention.
According to Duff, if you know your teammates, then you will notice when things are not right.
The warning signs of suicide can include talking about suicide, loss of interests, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness and other overt changes in behavior such as isolation. According to the staff of JSMART, morbid tweets, text messages and postings on social networks should be taken seriously.
“Take notice of your buddy to your left or right. Noticing that they’re not sleeping well, showing up late for work, not doing the fun things they used to do, or if they’re isolating themselves can be cause for concern,” Duff emphasized.
Without someone to talk to or share concerns or even frustrations with, these issues can often mushroom into something larger.
One myth is that when people engage and talk about suicide, they’re going to put that thought in the person’s head. That is not the case, Duff said. When you talk about suicide it’s a relief for that person, because it shows them that somebody truly does care.
“If someone were to say that they were suicidal, take every threat seriously, show legitimate concern, don’t judge them, do not leave them alone, get on the phone and call someone—call us,” Duff stressed.
One goal of JSMART is to be proactive and offer advice on suicide awareness to all troopers.
“We are here for the troopers, we would like to identify their stressors early on, so maybe down the road they won’t make a bad decision related to stress at home or work,” Harty said.
The JSMART staff is motivated everyday knowing that they have the full support of the leadership.
“We are continually working hard at expanding our services. We want our information and services to be ubiquitous,” Duff said. “We are going to continue to educate the troopers of the JTF so that everyone can reach us, know us, and find us.”
JSMART falls under the Joint Medical Group and services all JTF personnel, including the Coast Guard detachment located on the Naval Station side of the base.
“We are here for everyone. We go out to the Coast Guard Detachment and check in on them and let them know about our services,” Duff said. “We truly are a joint force clinic here.”
For more information about Joint Task Force Guantanamo, visit the Web site at www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil
| Date Taken: | 11.26.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 12.06.2010 08:54 |
| Story ID: | 61442 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 198 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, JSMART Stares Down Suicide, by SGT Juanita Philip, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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