Suicide prevention in military organizations

Abstract

Suicide is an important public health problem in the demographic group that forms the bulk of military populations, namely young and middle-aged men. Suicide in the military also has special significance: certain aspects of military service can lead to serious mental disorders that increase the risk of suicidal behaviour. Moreover, military organizations have control over a broad range of factors (notably the direct delivery of mental health care) that could mitigate suicide risk. This article will review the literature on suicide risk in military organizations to answer the important question: Are military personnel at increased risk for suicide? Next, Mann et al.'s (2005) model for specific suicide preventive interventions in civilian settings will be reviewed and then expanded, with an emphasis on identifying special opportunities for suicide prevention in military organizations, including: 1) organizational interventions to mitigate work stress; 2) selection, resilience training, and risk factor reduction; 3) interventions to overcome barriers to care; and 4) systematic quality improvement efforts in mental health care. Finally, the evidence behind comprehensive suicide prevention programmes will be reviewed, with a special focus on the US Air Force's benchmark programme.

Trends in suicidal behaviour and use of mental health services in Canadian military and civilian populations

“…The Canadian military has also created post-deployment screening programs 25 and anti-stigma campaigns so that personnel can access services in a timely manner. 4 Certain highly stressful occupations such as firefighting and law enforcement may benefit from screening and antistigma campaigns similar to those used by the military.…”

“…[1][2][3] There has been increased attention paid to suicidal behaviour in Canada, and a number of initiatives are being put in place to prevent suicide through better recognition and treatment of mental disorders. 4 Examples of major Canadian initiatives include creation of a national Mental Health Commission of Canada, 5 development of a federal framework for suicide prevention, 6 large investments in military and veteran mental health services, and targeted efforts to formulate comprehensive suicide prevention strategies among military and veteran populations. 4,7 Despite these initiatives, the prevalence of suicide in Canada has not changed appreciably in recent years.…”

“…4 Examples of major Canadian initiatives include creation of a national Mental Health Commission of Canada, 5 development of a federal framework for suicide prevention, 6 large investments in military and veteran mental health services, and targeted efforts to formulate comprehensive suicide prevention strategies among military and veteran populations. 4,7 Despite these initiatives, the prevalence of suicide in Canada has not changed appreciably in recent years. 8,9 A recent report on suicides in the Canadian Forces did not find an overall increase in the prevalence of suicide between 1995 and 2014.…”

The Role of Job Burnout and Depression in Self-Destructive Behavior of Islamic Republic of Iran's Army Personnel

“…Suicidal ideation is an important risk factor to a person's health and life, and an antecedent of suicide attempt [3]; the probability of suicide attempt among people with suicidal ideation is 6 times greater than in people without [4]. Although there is little information on the prevalence of suicide in Iran, the rate of suicide in this country is lower than in many other countries, especially in the West; however, it is higher compared with the countries in the Middle East [5].…”

Z delom povezani dejavniki tveganja za samomorilno vedenje, varovalni dejavniki in možnosti preventivnega delovanja

“…omejevanja dostopa do sredstev za samomor (Mustard idr., 2010;Zamorski, 2011). Tovrstne preventivne dejavnosti so relativno enostavno izvedljive in imajo pomembno vlogo pri preprečevanju samomora, tako v kontekstu zaposlitvenih dejavnikov tveganja (poleg medicinskih poklicev in poklicev, ki omogočajo dostop do strelnega orožja, se je kot učinkovito izkazalo npr.…”