“We're Afraid to Say Suicide”

Abstract

Suicide is a significant public health concern for veterans residing in rural communities. Although various initiatives have been implemented to prevent suicide among veterans, efforts specific to rural veterans remain limited. To aid such efforts, we examined stigma as a potential barrier to community readiness in the implementation of a community-based suicide prevention program for rural veterans. In this qualitative study, community readiness interviews were conducted with 13 participants in a rural community. Themes included lack of awareness regarding veteran suicide, rare discussions of veteran suicide, and suicide-related stigma within the community. Results suggest that prioritizing destigmatization may be particularly important to implementing community-based suicide prevention programming in rural communities. In particular, addressing community misconceptions regarding veteran suicide, while increasing knowledge of the extent to which veteran suicide occurs locally may facilitate increased awareness and thus community readiness to prevent suicide among rural veterans.

Closing the Gap: Characterizing Key Factors Leading to the Disparity in Suicide Rates along the Urban-Rural Continuum

“…Interestingly, Steward et al [21] demonstrated that when controlling for level of education, employment, and income, older adults in rural counties were more likely to have elevated levels of public and self-stigma and less tolerance of psychological openness when compared to their urban counterparts. In another study by Monteith et al [22], the relationship between stigmas towards suicide and suicide rate for veterans in rural communities was explored. After surveying individuals, results demonstrated that suicide related stigma may in fact be one of the most important things to prioritize in deconstructing as a community-based suicide prevention program in rural communities to decrease suicide rates in veterans in rural counties [22].…”

“…In another study by Monteith et al [22], the relationship between stigmas towards suicide and suicide rate for veterans in rural communities was explored. After surveying individuals, results demonstrated that suicide related stigma may in fact be one of the most important things to prioritize in deconstructing as a community-based suicide prevention program in rural communities to decrease suicide rates in veterans in rural counties [22]. This speaks to the potential downfalls of many suicide prevention constructs in place today which rely heavily on technology and access to either said technology or those who possess it.…”

Preventing Suicide in Rural Communities During the COVID‐19 Pandemic

“…[46][47][48][49] This may disproportionately affect individuals in rural communities, who already experience increased stigma regarding mental health, suicide, and help-seeking. [50][51][52] Furthermore, due to existing shortages of mental health providers in rural communities, many individuals in rural areas rely upon primary care providers to provide mental health screening, resources, and treatment. [53][54][55] However, concerns about infection and triaging the most medically severe patients during the COVID-19 outbreak may further strain primary care providers' ability to provide such services.…”

An Action Research Framework for Religion and the Stigma of Suicide

“…The public stigma of suicide is thought to cause social distancing, or avoidance, towards those who attempt suicide (Corrigan et al 2017a;Lester 1993). As a result, public stigma can be a barrier to gatekeeping (Burnette et al 2015), including difficulties with saying the word "suicide" (Monteith et al 2020). The (World Health Organization (n.d.) has recognized that one myth of suicide is that "someone who is suicidal is determined to die".…”