Retired and active military veterans are twice as likely as civilians to die by suicide, but a study funded by the Department of Defense sheds light on how to persuade veterans to seek help.
Though 16 percent of Americans live in rural areas, 24% of all veterans do. And rural residents are more likely to consider or attempt suicide. "Nationwide, an average of 20 current and former military service members die by suicide each day. Of those, an average of six were connected to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health system. Only half of all veterans who need mental health services are receiving them, according to the VA," Christine Vestal reports for Stateline.
Suicides among veterans receiving VA help are declining, but the challenge is to find a way to help the ones who aren't seeking treatment. The primary barrier to treatment for veterans, especially males, is the stigma associated with seeking mental health services. Also, "Veterans are afraid that if they admit they’re thinking about killing themselves, somebody will come snatch them up and put them in a hospital and make them take medicine," lead researcher Tracy Stecker told Vestal.
So, Stecker and her team at the Medical University of South Carolina decided to see if a simple phone call from a psychologist could persuade veterans to take the first step in seeking treatment.
They "called a thousand veterans who volunteered to participate in the study. They screened them for six mental health symptoms — sleep loss, post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, substance use, pain and suicidal thoughts or attempts — five times during the year after they initially made contact," Vestal reports. "Half of the participants also received a call from a psychologist who discussed with them their fears and concerns about seeking mental health treatment. For any participants who decided they wanted treatment during the study, the researchers connected them directly to a local mental health provider."
The researchers found that the veterans who talked to a psychologist had fewer suicidal thoughts and mental health symptoms and were more than twice as likely to seek help during suicidal episodes, Vestal reports.
The VA recently launched a multimillion-dollar social media and ad campaign to educate veterans about suicide risk after a 2018 Government Accountability Office report said the department wasn't doing enough. "Since then, the VA’s suicide prevention division has spent $12 million on outreach in 2018, including $1.5 million on paid media. This year’s suicide prevention outreach budget is $20 million, according to the VA," Vestal reports. "In addition, local suicide prevention coordinators connected to the VA’s 170 medical centers nationwide held more than 20,000 outreach events to contact veterans at risk for suicide, according to the VA. As a result, they are now managing care for nearly 11,000 veterans, according to the agency."
Though 16 percent of Americans live in rural areas, 24% of all veterans do. And rural residents are more likely to consider or attempt suicide. "Nationwide, an average of 20 current and former military service members die by suicide each day. Of those, an average of six were connected to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health system. Only half of all veterans who need mental health services are receiving them, according to the VA," Christine Vestal reports for Stateline.
Suicides among veterans receiving VA help are declining, but the challenge is to find a way to help the ones who aren't seeking treatment. The primary barrier to treatment for veterans, especially males, is the stigma associated with seeking mental health services. Also, "Veterans are afraid that if they admit they’re thinking about killing themselves, somebody will come snatch them up and put them in a hospital and make them take medicine," lead researcher Tracy Stecker told Vestal.
So, Stecker and her team at the Medical University of South Carolina decided to see if a simple phone call from a psychologist could persuade veterans to take the first step in seeking treatment.
They "called a thousand veterans who volunteered to participate in the study. They screened them for six mental health symptoms — sleep loss, post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, substance use, pain and suicidal thoughts or attempts — five times during the year after they initially made contact," Vestal reports. "Half of the participants also received a call from a psychologist who discussed with them their fears and concerns about seeking mental health treatment. For any participants who decided they wanted treatment during the study, the researchers connected them directly to a local mental health provider."
The researchers found that the veterans who talked to a psychologist had fewer suicidal thoughts and mental health symptoms and were more than twice as likely to seek help during suicidal episodes, Vestal reports.
The VA recently launched a multimillion-dollar social media and ad campaign to educate veterans about suicide risk after a 2018 Government Accountability Office report said the department wasn't doing enough. "Since then, the VA’s suicide prevention division has spent $12 million on outreach in 2018, including $1.5 million on paid media. This year’s suicide prevention outreach budget is $20 million, according to the VA," Vestal reports. "In addition, local suicide prevention coordinators connected to the VA’s 170 medical centers nationwide held more than 20,000 outreach events to contact veterans at risk for suicide, according to the VA. As a result, they are now managing care for nearly 11,000 veterans, according to the agency."
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