The modern‐day Odysseus: How mental health providers can better reintegrate modern warriors and mitigate suicide risk

Geraci, Joseph C.; Murray, Christopher J L; Kapil-Pair, Kalpana Nidhi; Herrera, Shaynna; Sokol, Yosef; Cary, Julianne; Landa, Yulia; Goodman, Marianne

doi:10.1002/jclp.22923

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…This may in part be because of social attitudes, so that it is stigmatised more than depression, and the fact that suicide is regarded as a sin by Islam. It may also be occasioned by the thought that not much can be done about it, but recent results show that well-designed programmes can make a difference to outcomes [29][30][31]. The success of charitable organisations such as the Samaritans in the UK and Ireland also shows that practical help can be given by trained volunteers who listen on the telephone to people with suicidal thoughts.…”

Section: Comparison Of Research With the Disease Burdenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health disorders research in the countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), 2008–17, and the disease burden: Bibliometric study

2021

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The 57 countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are suffering from an increasing burden from mental health disorders. We investigated their research outputs during 2008–17 in the Web of Science in order to compare them with the burden from different mental health disorders and in different countries. The papers were identified with a complex filter based on title words and journals. Their addresses were parsed to give fractional country counts, show international collaboration, and also reveal country concentration on individual disorders and types of research. We found 17,920 papers in the decade, with output quadrupling. Foreign contributions accounted for 15% of addresses; they were from Europe (7%), Canada + USA (5%) and elsewhere (3%). They were much greater for Qatar and Uganda (> 60%), but less than 10% for Iran and Turkey. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were over-researched, but suicide and self-harm were seriously neglected, relative to their mental health disorder burdens. Although OIC research has been expanding rapidly, some countries have published little on this subject, perhaps because of stigma. Turkey collaborates relatively little internationally and as a result its papers received few citations. Among the large OIC countries, it has almost the highest relative mental health disorders burden, which is also growing rapidly.

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Section: Comparison Of Research With the Disease Burdenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental health disorders research in the countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), 2008–17, and the disease burden: Bibliometric study

2021

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“…So, in addition to a disease model, we place increased emphasis on a "MW-based" model (Geraci et al, 2020b); nested within military and warrior cultures, an MW-based model can be applied to all MWs, families, and communities and may lead to better outcomes, including a decreased number of MW suicides. This model acknowledges that reintegration is intrinsically challenging, the needs of each MW are unique, many MWs are under-prepared for the reintegration, and unaddressed reintegration stressors can increase suicide risk.…”

Section: Way Aheadmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overall, we strive for MW reintegration to be a process and an outcome after which MW needs (physiological, love and belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization) are satisfied. Through reintegration, MWs should experience improvements in physical and psychological well-being and become well positioned to continue their next 'mission' of serving and improving society with a newly forged MW identity, wisdom, and sense of purpose (Elnitsky et al, 2017;US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2017;Geraci et al, 2020b). See Table 1 for a summary of these expanded roles and recommendations.…”

Section: Way Aheadmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expanded Roles and Recommendations for Stakeholders to Successfully Reintegrate Modern Warriors and Mitigate Suicide Risk

et al. 2020

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This article draws upon the legends of warriors from ancient Greece and other traditions to illuminate the journey of Modern Warriors (MWs) who have served in the United States military over the last century. It then turns to stakeholders that can assist current MWs in their reintegration to civilian life and mitigate suicide risk. Until this point, without an existing and coordinated local, federal, non-profit, and private system, rates of suicide for post-9/11 MWs after leaving the military have greatly increased, especially for young and women MWs. This is due in part to the military satisfying many of MWs' needs by providing units, leaders, and a mission during the Departure and Initiation stages of the MW journey. However, as MWs exit the military and face the difficult task of reintegration, the absence of units, leaders, and mission leads to deteriorating psychological health and increasing suicide risk. Written primarily by post-9/11 MWs, this article proposes recommendations for stakeholders to better reintegrate MWs and mitigate suicide risk. The authors strive to develop a system that satisfies MWs' reintegration needs and enables MWs to be well positioned to continue their next 'mission'-to serve and improve society.

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“…Keywords: Veteran Sponsorship Initiative, Reintegration difficulties, Suicide prevention, Connectedness, VA utilization, Community intervention, Stepped wedge Fig. 1 Suicide Rates (per 100,000) Based on Age and Veteran Status [74] referred to as a "deadly gap" characterized by a relative gap in support and service and corresponding increase in risk for suicide [23,60].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Partnered implementation of the veteran sponsorship initiative: protocol for a randomized hybrid type 2 effectiveness—implementation trial

et al. 2022

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Background The USA is undergoing a suicide epidemic for its youngest Veterans (18-to-34-years-old) as their suicide rate has almost doubled since 2001. Veterans are at the highest risk during their first-year post-discharge, thus creating a “deadly gap.” In response, the nation has developed strategies that emphasize a preventive, universal, and public health approach and embrace the value of community interventions. The three-step theory of suicide suggests that community interventions that reduce reintegration difficulties and promote connectedness for Veterans as they transition to civilian life have the greatest likelihood of reducing suicide. Recent research shows that the effectiveness of community interventions can be enhanced when augmented by volunteer and certified sponsors (1-on-1) who actively engage with Veterans, as part of the Veteran Sponsorship Initiative (VSI). Method/design The purpose of this randomized hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation trial is to evaluate the implementation of the VSI in six cities in Texas in collaboration with the US Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs, Texas government, and local stakeholders. Texas is an optimal location for this large-scale implementation as it has the second largest population of these young Veterans and is home to the largest US military installation, Fort Hood. The first aim is to determine the effectiveness of the VSI, as evidenced by measures of reintegration difficulties, health/psychological distress, VA healthcare utilization, connectedness, and suicidal risk. The second aim is to determine the feasibility and potential utility of a stakeholder-engaged plan for implementing the VSI in Texas with the intent of future expansion in more states. The evaluators will use a stepped wedge design with a sequential roll-out to participating cities over time. Participants (n=630) will be enrolled on military installations six months prior to discharge. Implementation efforts will draw upon a bundled implementation strategy that includes strategies such as ongoing training, implementation facilitation, and audit and feedback. Formative and summative evaluations will be guided by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework and will include interviews with participants and periodic reflections with key stakeholders to longitudinally identify barriers and facilitators to implementation. Discussion This evaluation will have important implications for the national implementation of community interventions that address the epidemic of Veteran suicide. Aligned with the Evidence Act, it is the first large-scale implementation of an evidence-based practice that conducts a thorough assessment of TSMVs during the “deadly gap.” Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID number: NCT05224440. Registered on 04 February 2022.

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The modern‐day Odysseus: How mental health providers can better reintegrate modern warriors and mitigate suicide risk

Cited by 9 publications

References 21 publications

Mental health disorders research in the countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), 2008–17, and the disease burden: Bibliometric study

Mental health disorders research in the countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), 2008–17, and the disease burden: Bibliometric study

Expanded Roles and Recommendations for Stakeholders to Successfully Reintegrate Modern Warriors and Mitigate Suicide Risk

Partnered implementation of the veteran sponsorship initiative: protocol for a randomized hybrid type 2 effectiveness—implementation trial

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