No abstract

For the past ten years, the prevalence of suicide completions among service members has increased, with rates greatly exceeding those seen within the US civilian population. In response, the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, and each branch of the military collaboratively implemented strategic approaches to improving existing suicide prevention programs and invested in the development of innovative programs. These approaches include consolidating suicide event reporting into a central database, reducing the stigma associated with help-seeking behaviors, enhancing resilience among service members, improving aspects impacting service members’ overall quality of life through an expansion of benefits and services, and improving the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being of service members. This article explores the evolution of these suicide risk prevention efforts in consideration of the effectiveness of different strategies used by military branches and veteran programs.