Dear James 

Check these papers and their references out:

Article Caring Letters for Suicide Prevention: Implementation of a M...

Article Identification and Management of Suicide Risk in U.S. Milita...

Article Suicide risk in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with mental he...

Article Does the resources sector have higher suicide rates? A compa...

Beatrice,

Thank you so very much.

James

In addition I would explore the Department of Defense site because they do have QRS or Quarterly Suicide Reports..... Here is one link that might get you there: http://www.suicideoutreach.org/SuicideData/quarterly_reports.htm

Hi James,

Thank you for doing this study!  As a veteran, I greatly appreciate your efforts & am interested in a copy of the final article.

You can also contact the DOD & Veterans' Administration.  Most of the articles on the DOD website are geared toward prevention; however, they can provide you w/accurate numbers. Yesterday,  I was listening to a radio show about veterans and services for them.  The host announced that 22 veterans suicide every day in the U.S.  That doesn't include Active Duty, Reservists, or National Guard.  The DOD can provide you w/stats for those as well.

DOD's info on veterans suiciding goes back to @ least Viet Nam or earlier.  They are working toward getting veteran's services in place to provide them w/the best hope for their future; however, it is showing itself to be too big for current services to handle.

Hopes this helps!

Anyway, thanks again!

Denise Goins

http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/603802

Denise,

There are multiple resources to prevent suicide among active duty and vets alike.  However, it is still happening.  My attempt is to address the reasons why and see what programs across multiple platforms have had success in preventing this.  If it means early screening  and testing to see if certain members are susceptible to it or not etc. 

James, thank you for clarifying your search.  I can tell you that there is a program, SRC--which is a wonderful program; however, it is incapable of helping if the returning soldier denies having any issues--that every returning active duty military must clear before they can be released, a system of notifying their commander that they have completed the program.  It is basically a series of interviews and a physical exam that is to demonstrate the person is fit for continued active duty.  That is one of the problems.  People who are being discharged from the military do not have the same requirements.

The 2nd problem is that many of the returning soldiers deny any target symptoms--nightmares, insomnia, hypervigilance, etc. of PTSD.  They return to duty state-side having a lot of trouble but are able to mask it well enough during their duty hours.  More frequent effort is the self-medicating alcohol &/or drugs.  Another symptom they are able to hide during duty hours.  Drinking is a socially accepted way of coping with any symptoms.  Furthermore, if a soldier admits to having symptoms of PTSD or a mood disorder, they "lose" their jobs & are placed in a job in which their is no security risk.  The information is then entered into their military record & any future command sees them as weak, which is unacceptable.  No one wants to have a problem, which these soldiers are viewed, in their command.

Furthermore, suicide is perceived as the honorable way to leave their pain behind, while admitting to needing help is weak & dishonorable.  The old mental health stigma compounded by the duties the military requires of these men & women.

You've seen the scandal w/the VA medical system which leaves many of the veterans waiting w/o any resources to support them while they wait for whatever service they are seeking.  In a lot of those cases the VA employees are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of veterans needing healthcare.

I don't know if any of this helps, but I hope it gives you something of an insider look @ the programs the military & VA attempt to provide their people.  I suppose I should tell you where my knowledge comes from.  I am a disabled veteran & the wife a of a retired master sergeant. 

It is my sincere hope that your research is able to be used to decrease the number of suicides.  It sounds as if you might be on to something.  Good luck!

James, thank you for clarifying your search.  I can tell you that there is a program, SRC--which is a wonderful program; however, it is incapable of helping if the returning soldier denies having any issues--that every returning active duty military must clear before they can be released, a system of notifying their commander that they have completed the program.  It is basically a series of interviews and a physical exam that is to demonstrate the person is fit for continued active duty.  That is one of the problems.  People who are being discharged from the military do not have the same requirements.

The 2nd problem is that many of the returning soldiers deny any target symptoms--nightmares, insomnia, hypervigilance, etc. of PTSD.  They return to duty state-side having a lot of trouble but are able to mask it well enough during their duty hours.  More frequent effort is the self-medicating alcohol &/or drugs.  Another symptom they are able to hide during duty hours.  Drinking is a socially accepted way of coping with any symptoms.  Furthermore, if a soldier admits to having symptoms of PTSD or a mood disorder, they "lose" their jobs & are placed in a job in which their is no security risk.  The information is then entered into their military record & any future command sees them as weak, which is unacceptable.  No one wants to have a problem, which these soldiers are viewed, in their command.

Furthermore, suicide is perceived as the honorable way to leave their pain behind, while admitting to needing help is weak & dishonorable.  The old mental health stigma compounded by the duties the military requires of these men & women.

You've seen the scandal w/the VA medical system which leaves many of the veterans waiting w/o any resources to support them while they wait for whatever service they are seeking.  In a lot of those cases the VA employees are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of veterans needing healthcare.

I don't know if any of this helps, but I hope it gives you something of an insider look @ the programs the military & VA attempt to provide their people.  I suppose I should tell you where my knowledge comes from.  I am a disabled veteran & the wife a of a retired master sergeant. 

It is my sincere hope that your research is able to be used to decrease the number of suicides.  It sounds as if you might be on to something.  Good luck!

Thank you Denise

Also Robert Ursano conducted a huge research project on this issue - Haven't seen final report... but might be able to get it from one of the national centers on PTDF... Here is info on the proposed study:

Robert J. Ursano, M.D., director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress and chairman of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) Department of Psychiatry in Bethesda, Md., will lead an interdisciplinary team of four research institutions to carry out a National Institute of Mental Health study " the largest study of suicide and mental health among military personnel ever undertaken, with $50 million in funding from the U.S. Army.