Posted on Apr 2, 2017
Does a disconnect exist between the purpose and the outcomes of the Army's suicide prevention program?
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I don't understand suicide prevention in the military. Why does the military try to prevent someone from killing themselves then when all is said and done then they throw the person out. It defeats the whole purpose of suicide prevention. Then when that person's employer sees their medical history they are out of a job and possibly screwed for life. I just don't understand the purpose.
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Suicide prevention doesn't automatically get somebody kicked out of the military. I've seen it end with soldiers being retained a few times. Typically, when an SM is kicked out in these instances, what you are really seeing is an underlying mental condition that renders them unfit for service. Often times, these situations end in medical retirement so a civilian career isn't always in the cards for them anyway.
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SPC Erich Guenther
Yup and the underlying mental condition is usually depression and depending on type it can be pretty dangerous to give someone live ammo and a rifle that suffers from depression.
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PFC Jonathan Albano
SPC Erich Guenther - Depression isn't necessarily something that renders people unfit to serve. Most cases of depression are due to major life events such as the death of a loved one- and who can blame them? Dramatic negative change is a lot to process for even the strongest among us. In most cases, people with depression just need time and friendly ears to come to terms with their situation. Once they come to terms, problem solved.
Telling people with depression that you can't trust them is the wrong answer. When an SM is found to have depression, it makes it all the more important to get behind your battle and show them that you got their back. Part of that is keeping them away from things that can endanger themselves and others, however, the majority of it is showing empathy to your brother or sister. That's what suicide prevention is all about.
The cases I mentioned that the soldiers were retained happened to be cases where the soldier was working through some major life issues.
Telling people with depression that you can't trust them is the wrong answer. When an SM is found to have depression, it makes it all the more important to get behind your battle and show them that you got their back. Part of that is keeping them away from things that can endanger themselves and others, however, the majority of it is showing empathy to your brother or sister. That's what suicide prevention is all about.
The cases I mentioned that the soldiers were retained happened to be cases where the soldier was working through some major life issues.
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SPC Erich Guenther
PFC Jonathan Albano - You can do whatever you want with folks you know that are depressed. While I was in uniform I was bound to Army regs on the matter. Now that I am a civilian, no way is someone suffering from depression and taking medication from it.....going to be on the firing range with me if I know about their condition. Sorry if it hurts their feelings but if they were taking care of themselves as per doctors instructions I wouldn't have to intervene...........would I?
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PFC Jonathan Albano
SPC Erich Guenther - Nobody is advocating people suffering from depression send any bullets down range. I'm simply saying that blanket statements like you made aren't called for. Mental illness is a real issue that doesn't go away by stigmatizing the people who are learning to cope with it. People who suffer from depression need acceptance. Not further reasons to feel like crap.
Like you said though, you're a civilian. Feel free to do whatever. You're the one who has to live with it.
Like you said though, you're a civilian. Feel free to do whatever. You're the one who has to live with it.
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yes, they want to try and cure it at the final levels almost a stop before it happens when they should be focusing on what is causing it to come about. The army needs things to get down and you cant make everyone like each other so there is some personal ownership in it but "suck it up and drive on" is really what the army lives by so there is already a flawed starting point.
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I'm probably going to ruffle the feathers here but if someone wants to commit suicide.......nothing much you can do to stop it. period and full stop. It is a individual decision that is very selfishly made. Yes the suicide candidate blames others or situations beyond their control for their actions. It's kind of a ruse though because when you get right down to it the person committing suicide is the same person that pulls the trigger, overdoeses, etc (the perp). You can study the environmental conditions that lead to suicide decisions but even if you eliminate those environments........suicide will still exist because depression will still exist. So you won't necessarily eliminate suicide but instead the people that are prone to it will find new justifcations. I do think we need to as a society not embrace suicide or euthenasia so freely as a solution when so much is not known medically. I think it's stupid to say to people in society that suicide is OK in some cases but not in others. It's either always OK or it is NOT always OK. So as a society I think we need to make some changes as to what is acceptable and what is not..... if we really want to reduce the suicide rates.
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SCPO Penny Douphinett
People who die by suicide are not selfish. I am speaking of those who are suffering from severe depression, who feel they are in too much pain to continue, that their loved ones are better off without them, they cause more trouble than they are worth, people only pretend to care about them. It is a way of looking at the world most of us can not comprehend. Add to it the layer of being in the military where asking for help can be a career ender in the long run, or depending on your specialty, instant removal from your job and all that is familiar and the people who really do care about you.
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