Photo By Sgt. Mahlet Tesfaye | In the month of September, U.S. Army South is urging Soldiers and civilian employees...... read more read more
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“Take Action” is the theme for this year’s Suicide Prevention Awareness Month encouraging everyone to intervene and help their battle buddies receive the right help at the first sign of suicidal thought.
This September, in the spirit of taking action, U.S. Army South is providing training to its members and reminding them the importance of not only knowing the sings of suicide, but also knowing where to go to get the right care including behavioral health care.
“In training we talk about Soldiers seeking help through their chaplain and behavioral health provider,” said John Dale, supervisory suicide prevention program manager for Army South. “We talk about leaders reducing the stigma of seeking behavioral health. We empower Soldiers and Department of Army civilians in being able to identify the warning signs and risk factors of suicide and help them identify some protective factors to combat the risk factors in their lives.”
One of the resources available for service members, their dependents and civilian employees is the Behavioral Health Services on Fort Sam Houston where they can receive care on a walk-in or referral bases by trained professionals.
“The most important part is to ask for help,” stressed Col. Steve Lewis, director of Psychological Health, San Antonio Military Medical Center. “For some people, that is the hardest part. There remains a stigma of seeking behavioral healthcare that requires personal courage and strength to overcome when seeking care. We have dedicated professionals ready to help Soldiers who are struggling with distress and thoughts of suicide.”
Although there are many warning signs of suicide, the Army’s suicide prevention training program “Ask, Care, Escort.” has been a helpful tool for Soldiers, civilians and family members to use as a guide to recognize and react accordingly to prevent a possible suicide.
The behavioral health clinics are staffed by multi-disciplinary teams of behavioral health professionals to include psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers and psychiatric nurse practitioners all dedicated to providing quality and compassionate care.
“Soldiers and family members experiencing psychological distress, especially depression, substance use disorders and other disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder are at heightened risk for suicide so it is imperative that everyone is aware of what help is available to them,” said Lewis.
In order to reduce the number of suicides in the military, individuals and leaders have the responsibility to take action and encourage anyone who is experiencing emotional or psychological distress to seek professional help.
“This year, as the Army observes Suicide Prevention Month in September and supports the National Suicide Prevention Week, I challenge each of you to ‘Take Action,’” stated Maj. Gen. K.K. Chinn, Army South’s commanding general, in his written message to members of his command. “Take action to help a friend, family member, or Soldier. Take action to increase your personal resiliency. Take action to keep our Army Strong.”
| Date Taken: | 09.14.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.14.2015 15:10 |
| Story ID: | 175991 |
| Location: | FORT SAM HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 79 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Behavioral health care to prevent suicide, by SGT Mahlet Tesfaye, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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