Photo By Michael ODay | Capt. Mil Yi (center), Regional Chaplain at Navy Medicine West and Department Head at...... read more read more
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in United States and has been on a steady rise for over decade. The suicide rate for active duty Navy personnel, according to the Navy Personnel Command website, is 1.5 times greater than for adults who never served in the armed forces. While schools, civilian employers, and military commands across the country train over 20 million Americans in CPR and basic first aid annually, less than 28,000 a year have been taught to save lives by preventing suicide.
That’s something Capt. Mil Yi, regional chaplain at Navy Medicine West and pastoral care department head at Naval Medical Center San Diego is looking to change.
“A lot of the courses we have teach awareness, and that’s good. Awareness is the first step in preventing suicide,” said Yi. “Now it’s time for peer to peer intervention. When you’re with your buddies and you get the feeling something is wrong, when you sense someone has thoughts of suicide, you don’t need to wait for help from the chaplain or medical. You can engage first aid and bandage the pain, keeping them safe until you can get them professional help.”
In line with the Chief of Naval Operations' "Every Sailor, Every Day" campaign, which seeks to empower behavior change by providing Sailors and families with tips to support themselves and each other, is Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). ASIST is a two-day, two-trainer, interactive workshop designed for everyone. ASIST can provide family, friends, and community members, as well as those in formal helping roles, with the skills necessary to ensure they are prepared to provide suicide first aid help. Participants learn to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety.
Workshop participants learn how everyday stresses can add up and overwhelm people to a breaking point. Much like small creeks, streams, and storm drains come together, causing a river to overflow its banks, and how taking away just one tributary can relieve the pressure and save a life.
“This skill training helps individuals from different ranks throughout the military be able to engage and be willing to say ‘are you thinking about killing yourself,’” said Yi.
According to several peer-reviewed research studies, evidence shows the ASIST method helps reduce suicidal feelings in those at risk and is an effective way to help address the problem of suicide.
Yi said, “The course teaches you to be ready and able. The willingness to help will come as you go through the course as you develop the skills. You want to be that first aid. You want to be that first aid worker. You want to be the life guard to save someone from the river of suicide.”
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ASIST classes are locally led. For information about upcoming classes please contact your local Pastoral Care office. In the San Diego area please call 619-532-6025.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to a supervisor, chaplain or a friend. You are not alone. If you or anybody you know is having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), available 24-hours a day for help. You can talk, chat or text anonymously with a crisis counselor who can get you in touch with additional resources.
| Date Taken: | 06.17.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 06.17.2019 19:14 |
| Story ID: | 328002 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 108 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Awareness Is Not Enough: Navy Medicine West Teaches Peer to Peer Suicide Intervention, by Michael ODay, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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