Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Official notes progress in suicide prevention effortPublished Sept. 3, 2013
                    
                    By Terri Moon Cronk
                    
                    
                    American Forces Press Service
            **WASHINGTON (AFNS) --**Making sure people know where to turn for help during a time of crisis is the continuing goal of the Defense Department's suicide prevention program, the Pentagon official in charge of the effort said here Aug. 30.
In an interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel, Jacqueline Garrick said DOD has a "plethora" of resources that are specific to service members and their families who have thoughts of suicide.
And while numbers are pending, Garrick said, DOD is "seeing a decrease in the number of suicides in the department overall."
Senior Pentagon leaders have worked diligently for several years to erase the stigma of seeking help for mental health issues, and it appears to be paying off, she added.
"We're seeing more people access help through the Military Crisis Line, and an increase in users for mental health (help) across the department," she said.
Those are good signs that DOD's messages are reaching the people who need help, she added, and that they're taking advantage of the resources the department offers.
The message that seeking help is a sign of strength has resonated from the top down throughout the Defense Department, Garrick said, noting that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have sent that message repeatedly. President Barack Obama also made that point at Fort Hood, Texas, last year when he announced an executive order to improve access to mental health care for service members, veterans and military families, Garrick said. "So that message is resonating throughout the services, in our civilian and military forces," she added.
September is National Suicide Prevention Month, Garrick said. In keeping with the theme, "It's Your Call," Garrick emphasized that all service members, their families and friends should be aware of the Military Crisis Line, an immediate source of help that's confidential and anonymous. Trained counselors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-273-8255.
In addition to the crisis phone line, she said, help also is available through the Military Crisis Line's website at http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ActiveDuty.aspx, with access to counselors in person and through online chats and text messaging, she said.
In addition, DOD's suicide outreach website at http://www.suicideoutreach.org/ has a family guide that offers steps to take when someone is in crisis. It also lists at-risk behaviors and other symptoms of a person who is potentially suicidal, Garrick said.
Family members also can use these resources to find help for themselves if they feel they're feeling suicidal, Garrick said.
"Family members often don't think those resources are there for their needs, so we want to encourage them (to use the resources that are available)," Garrick said. "If family members are depressed, stressed or feeling suicidal, we want them to get help for themselves, as well as for their loved ones."
Research shows that treatment is successful when it's given a chance, Garrick said.
"It does make a difference, and the resources are designed specifically to support service members who are deployed, those who have not deployed, those with (post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury), depression, substance abuse, financial problems and relationship problems," she said.
"If you don't get help, problems get worse, which can impact your career and your life overall," she said. "It's better to get help early and identify problems that are small, rather than wait until they get bigger, and then have things blow up and become more unmanageable."
People with suicidal tendencies might need a break to "recap and recoup" their personal resilience and return to their regular schedules when they are more mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually fit to be more successful, Garrick said. And fostering service members' sense of personal resilience is paramount to DOD senior leaders and to those throughout the chain of command, she added.
Resources for help don't end with DOD and the services, Garrick said, noting that the Veterans Affairs Department also offers help.

Our service members don’t stay with us forever,” she noted, adding that Pentagon officials want them to have a successful transfer to VA as they leave the military and become veterans. “We want them to embrace their veteran status and get the help they need," she said.suicide prevention

Related Links
        Defense Suicide Prevention Office
            
            Military Crisis Line
            
            Veterans Crisis Line
            
            Family Guide
            
            Executive Order: Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil