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By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alora R. Blosch
USS George Washington Public Affairs
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Sept. 7, 2017) – “It’s easier to run, replacing this pain with something numb. It’s so much easier to go than face this pain all alone… Sometimes I remember the darkness of my past, bringing back memories I wish I didn’t have. Sometimes I think of letting go and never looking back and never moving forward so there’d never be a past.”
These are lyrics sang by Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park, in the song ‘It’s easier to run’ on his album Meteora released in 2003. Bennington took his life July 2017 after years of dealing with depression. His suicide sparked a conversation throughout the nation about suicide and how it affects everyone even those who seem to have their life put together. His music focused on bringing awareness to depression and anxiety and letting his audience know that they weren’t alone in those feelings.
September is Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month. Raising awareness is one of the first steps toward combatting suicide because the more educated people become; the easier it is to recognize the risk factors and warning signs.
“I think raising awareness is important because it sometimes falls on the way side,” said Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Katelynn Phillips, a member of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington’s (CVN 73) suicide intervention team. “It’s something that can happen behind the scenes and goes unnoticed, but by raising awareness we keep reminding ourselves what to do and what to watch out for in the people around us.”
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States with approximately 44,193 people dying from it each year. Learning to recognize when someone is contemplating suicide can help decrease these numbers by intervening or preventing the act before it happens.
“The warning signs can happen very quickly when someone is dealing with suicidal thoughts,” said Phillips. “A suicide attempt is a very thought out, planned process by the victim. Chances are the day they are planning to go through with it; something could happen that changes the course of their plan. Watch out for a rush to end conversations that get too personal, avoidance to answering questions when asking about problems or suicidal thoughts. Encourage them that it is something many people struggle with and that they are not alone. Most importantly, if you think someone is at risk of suicide DO NOT leave them alone.”
According to the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) course from Living Works, some warning signs of suicide are giving away cherished possessions, saying goodbye to loved ones, isolation, expressing feelings of hopelessness, and withdrawal. Risk factors differ from warning signs because it doesn’t mean someone is experiencing suicidal ideation or depression, just that they are at risk of experiencing those emotions.
“Someone at risk of a suicide attempt can be very stressed out,” said Phillips. “Maybe they are going through a divorce, lost someone close to them, are dealing with financial stress or have been struggling with mental illness. These things can make someone feel like they aren’t getting anywhere in life and can’t catch a break or accomplishment.”
When someone is dealing with suicidal ideation it becomes important to get treatment, but sometime it comes down to friends to push them to it. The tendency is to keep all of those heavy emotions inside so that they don’t burden others and sharing can make it all seem real instead of just that voice in their head.
“Seeking out treatment is important because if you hold everything inside, it can build up and become worse,” said Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class John Stone, a behavioral health technician. “I like to think of it like a balloon. The more air that goes into that balloon, the more likely it is to pop. Once that balloon pops, that’s when people end up in trouble. They start making destructive decisions. That’s why going to get help is equivalent to letting some air out of that balloon.”
The psychologist provides support for those Sailors who may feel the pressure beginning to build; however, Stone believes a good way to help with releasing some of that pressure is also through support networks and friendships.
“Friends are a great resource to utilize,” said Stone. “They are someone you can talk to, someone to vent to, someone to utilize for support in your time of need. If everyone had a good chain of support, then there wouldn’t be a need for a psychologist because you would have everyone you need there to help you get through a problem.”
It’s also important to recognize people's mannerisms and behaviors because the first line of defense is the people who work with those struggling Sailors. Stone said the best way to help is to ask.
“Intervention is easier than someone would think,” said Phillips. “It sometimes only takes one stranger to say hi to another, one person to have a genuine conversation, one person to show genuine concern for the other. When someone tells you that they are thinking about suicide, the best thing to do is listen. Do your best to not leave the person alone. Ask them about what is causing them to feel this way and find out what things can happen to change or help their situation, make a plan to keep them safe until you can get them to the help that they need.”
The AFSP stated that with every suicide there are approximately 25 attempts. Suicide doesn’t only affect the person struggling. It also affects all the people that love the person too.
“A lot of things happen with those affected from suicide,” said Philllips. “On top of the grieving process there is a lot of blame and shame that we can experience. The loneliness, depression and guilt can cause a lot more pain than a death by natural causes like old age or cancer, because it could have been stopped if the right intervention had occurred.”
Suicide is something that can be combatted it only takes being informed and knowing how to identify risk and warning signs. It can be a simple conversation where instead of saying of accepting “I’m good” as a response, people dig deeper and ask about how things are really going. Showing compassion and being a listening ear for someone to blow off steam or sort through their problems can have a major role in preventing suicide. Being informed on what to do when the signs are recognized also helps, because when the right channels are used people dealing with depression can get the help they need to overcome it and can help remove them from the corner they feel backed into.
If you are dealing with depression, anxiety or suicidal ideation reach out to the ASIST team, ship’s psychologist, a chaplain or call the national suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. The command chaplain can be reached on the Floating Accommodation Facility (FAF) in room 321 or by phone at 757-534-0269.
Join the conversation with GW online at www.facebook.com/GW and www.twitter.com/GW_CVN73. For more news from USS George Washington, visit www. Navy.mil/local/cvn73/.
| Date Taken: | 09.07.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.30.2017 17:12 |
| Story ID: | 260976 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Suicide Prevention Month: Raising Awareness, by PO1 Alora Blosch, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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