Post by Admin on May 14, 2017 19:52:57 GMT -5
The VA has just published the latest statistics on veteran suicide and the VA's suicide prevention efforts.
The file is at this address if you want to download it:
www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/Suicide_Prevention_FactSheet_New_VA_Stats_070616_1400.pdf
The good news is this -- That number 22 is lowering to 20. Let us push to reach more vets by whatever means.
The file is at this address if you want to download it:
www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/Suicide_Prevention_FactSheet_New_VA_Stats_070616_1400.pdf
I've posted below some of the key sections which I think are significant (DL):
Cover Page:
VA Suicide Prevention Program
Facts about Veteran Suicide
July 2016
Overview
VA believes every Veteran suicide is a tragic outcome. Regardless of the numbers or
rates, one Veteran suicide is one too many. We continue to spread the word
throughout VA that “Suicide Prevention is Everyone’s responsibility.” These new data
about Veteran suicide will inform our Suicide Prevention programs and policies,
especially for groups at elevated risk for suicide, including older and female Veterans.
VA continues to address Veterans’ needs through strategic partnerships with
community and federal partners and seeks to enhance these partnerships.
Meanwhile, we continue to serve as a leader in evidence-based care for suicide
prevention.
VA relies on multiple sources of information to identify deaths that are likely due to
suicide and has undertaken the most comprehensive analyses of Veteran suicide
rates in the U.S. We have examined over 50 million Veteran records from 1979 to
2014 from every state in the nation. This effort extends VA’s knowledge from the
previous report issued in 2010, when over 3 million Veteran records from 20 states
were available.
Veteran Suicide Statistics, 2014
§ In 2014, an average of 20 Veterans died from suicide each day. 6 of the 20 were
users of VA services.
§ In 2014, Veterans accounted for 18% of all deaths from suicide among U.S.
adults, while Veterans constituted 8.5% of the US population. In 2010, Veterans
accounted for 22% of all deaths from suicide and 9.7% of the population.
§ Approximately 66% of all Veteran deaths from suicide were the result of firearm
injuries.
§ There is continued evidence of high burden of suicide among middle-aged and
older adult Veterans. In 2014, approximately 65% of all Veterans who died from
suicide were aged 50 years or older.
§ After adjusting for differences in age and gender, risk for suicide was 21%
higher among Veterans when compared to U.S. civilian adults. (2014)
§ After adjusting for differences in age, risk for suicide was 18% higher among
male Veterans when compared to U.S. civilian adult males. (2014)
§ After adjusting for differences in age, risk for suicide was 2.4 times higher among
female Veterans when compared to U.S. civilian adult females. (2014)
===============
VA Aggressively Undertaking New Measures to Prevent Suicide
===========
Veterans Crisis Line Expansion
§ The 24/7 Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) provides immediate access to mental
health crisis intervention and support. Veterans call the national suicide
prevention hotline number, 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and then “Press 1” to reach
highly skilled responders trained in suicide prevention and crisis intervention.
VCL also includes a chat service and texting option. We are continuing to
modify phone systems to allow for direct connection to the VCL by dialing “7”
when calling the VA medical center.
o We are hiring over 60 new suicide intervention responders/counselors for
the VCL
o Each responder receives intensive training on a wide variety of topics in
crisis intervention, substance use disorders, screening, brief intervention,
and referral to treatment.
§ Since the establishment of the VCL through May 2016 the VCL:
o Has answered over 2.3 million calls, made over 289,000 chat connections,
and over 55,000 texts;
o Has initiated the dispatch of emergency services to callers in imminent
suicidal crisis over 61,000 times;
o Has provided over 376,000 referrals to a VA Suicide Prevention
Coordinator (SPC) thus ensuring Veterans are connected to local care;
====
Increasing mental health services to women vets...
====
Free Mobile Apps to Help Veterans and their Families: See all of them on this page of VA PTSD site.
VA has deployed a suite of 13 award-winning mobile apps to support Veterans and their
families with tools to help them manage emotional and behavioral concerns. These
include:
• PTSD Coach (released 2011; 233,000 downloads in 95 countries) is a VA and
DoD joint project and is widely acclaimed, winning numerous awards. It is a tool
for self-management of PTSD, and includes: a self-assessment tool; educational
materials about PTSD symptoms, treatment, related conditions, and forms of
treatment; relaxation and focusing exercises designed to address symptoms; and
immediate access to crisis resources, personal support contacts, or professional
mental healthcare.
• CBT-i Coach for insomnia (released 2013; 86,000 downloads in 87 countries)
was a collaborative effort between the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National
Center for PTSD (NCPTSD), Stanford University Medical Center, and the
Department of Defense’s National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2).
CBT-i Coach is a mobile phone app designed for use by people who are having
difficulty sleeping and are participating in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for
Insomnia guided by a healthcare professional.
• ACT Coach for depression (released 2014; 23,000 downloads in 93 countries)
supports people currently participating in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
(ACT) who want to use an app in conjunction with their therapist to bring ACT
practice into daily life.
• Mindfulness Coach, (released 2014; 39,000 downloads in 95 countries) provides
tools to assist users in practicing mindfulness meditation.
• Moving Forward (released 2014; 5,400 downloads in 54 countries) teaches
problem solving skills and can be used in a stand-alone fashion or while
participating in Problem Solving training.
====
More on-line options for vets:
Over the past four years, Make the Connection has seen tremendous
engagement with Veterans, Veteran family members, and supporters. Via
MakeTheConnection.net, the campaign’s outreach efforts, and social media
properties including Facebook and YouTube pages, the following has been
achieved (through May 2016):
o 10.5 million website visits;
o 333,000 resource locator uses (local VA and other community sources
of support);
o 14.4 million video views;
o 19,700 YouTube subscribers;
o 3.4 million likes on the MTC Facebook page, making it one of the
largest government Facebook communities in the country;
o 39.8 million engagement actions on Facebook (likes, comments and/or
shares);
o More than 2 billion impressions of the campaign’s Public Service
Announcements, earning more than $27M in free, donated airplay;
o Outreach has resulted in over 190 organizations broadcasting
campaign messaging through their communication platforms and
o More than 730,000 pieces of material distributed nationwide....
To read the full Study click HERE.
Cover Page:
VA Suicide Prevention Program
Facts about Veteran Suicide
July 2016
Overview
VA believes every Veteran suicide is a tragic outcome. Regardless of the numbers or
rates, one Veteran suicide is one too many. We continue to spread the word
throughout VA that “Suicide Prevention is Everyone’s responsibility.” These new data
about Veteran suicide will inform our Suicide Prevention programs and policies,
especially for groups at elevated risk for suicide, including older and female Veterans.
VA continues to address Veterans’ needs through strategic partnerships with
community and federal partners and seeks to enhance these partnerships.
Meanwhile, we continue to serve as a leader in evidence-based care for suicide
prevention.
VA relies on multiple sources of information to identify deaths that are likely due to
suicide and has undertaken the most comprehensive analyses of Veteran suicide
rates in the U.S. We have examined over 50 million Veteran records from 1979 to
2014 from every state in the nation. This effort extends VA’s knowledge from the
previous report issued in 2010, when over 3 million Veteran records from 20 states
were available.
Veteran Suicide Statistics, 2014
§ In 2014, an average of 20 Veterans died from suicide each day. 6 of the 20 were
users of VA services.
§ In 2014, Veterans accounted for 18% of all deaths from suicide among U.S.
adults, while Veterans constituted 8.5% of the US population. In 2010, Veterans
accounted for 22% of all deaths from suicide and 9.7% of the population.
§ Approximately 66% of all Veteran deaths from suicide were the result of firearm
injuries.
§ There is continued evidence of high burden of suicide among middle-aged and
older adult Veterans. In 2014, approximately 65% of all Veterans who died from
suicide were aged 50 years or older.
§ After adjusting for differences in age and gender, risk for suicide was 21%
higher among Veterans when compared to U.S. civilian adults. (2014)
§ After adjusting for differences in age, risk for suicide was 18% higher among
male Veterans when compared to U.S. civilian adult males. (2014)
§ After adjusting for differences in age, risk for suicide was 2.4 times higher among
female Veterans when compared to U.S. civilian adult females. (2014)
===============
VA Aggressively Undertaking New Measures to Prevent Suicide
===========
Veterans Crisis Line Expansion
§ The 24/7 Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) provides immediate access to mental
health crisis intervention and support. Veterans call the national suicide
prevention hotline number, 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and then “Press 1” to reach
highly skilled responders trained in suicide prevention and crisis intervention.
VCL also includes a chat service and texting option. We are continuing to
modify phone systems to allow for direct connection to the VCL by dialing “7”
when calling the VA medical center.
o We are hiring over 60 new suicide intervention responders/counselors for
the VCL
o Each responder receives intensive training on a wide variety of topics in
crisis intervention, substance use disorders, screening, brief intervention,
and referral to treatment.
§ Since the establishment of the VCL through May 2016 the VCL:
o Has answered over 2.3 million calls, made over 289,000 chat connections,
and over 55,000 texts;
o Has initiated the dispatch of emergency services to callers in imminent
suicidal crisis over 61,000 times;
o Has provided over 376,000 referrals to a VA Suicide Prevention
Coordinator (SPC) thus ensuring Veterans are connected to local care;
====
Increasing mental health services to women vets...
====
Free Mobile Apps to Help Veterans and their Families: See all of them on this page of VA PTSD site.
VA has deployed a suite of 13 award-winning mobile apps to support Veterans and their
families with tools to help them manage emotional and behavioral concerns. These
include:
• PTSD Coach (released 2011; 233,000 downloads in 95 countries) is a VA and
DoD joint project and is widely acclaimed, winning numerous awards. It is a tool
for self-management of PTSD, and includes: a self-assessment tool; educational
materials about PTSD symptoms, treatment, related conditions, and forms of
treatment; relaxation and focusing exercises designed to address symptoms; and
immediate access to crisis resources, personal support contacts, or professional
mental healthcare.
• CBT-i Coach for insomnia (released 2013; 86,000 downloads in 87 countries)
was a collaborative effort between the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National
Center for PTSD (NCPTSD), Stanford University Medical Center, and the
Department of Defense’s National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2).
CBT-i Coach is a mobile phone app designed for use by people who are having
difficulty sleeping and are participating in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for
Insomnia guided by a healthcare professional.
• ACT Coach for depression (released 2014; 23,000 downloads in 93 countries)
supports people currently participating in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
(ACT) who want to use an app in conjunction with their therapist to bring ACT
practice into daily life.
• Mindfulness Coach, (released 2014; 39,000 downloads in 95 countries) provides
tools to assist users in practicing mindfulness meditation.
• Moving Forward (released 2014; 5,400 downloads in 54 countries) teaches
problem solving skills and can be used in a stand-alone fashion or while
participating in Problem Solving training.
====
More on-line options for vets:
Over the past four years, Make the Connection has seen tremendous
engagement with Veterans, Veteran family members, and supporters. Via
MakeTheConnection.net, the campaign’s outreach efforts, and social media
properties including Facebook and YouTube pages, the following has been
achieved (through May 2016):
o 10.5 million website visits;
o 333,000 resource locator uses (local VA and other community sources
of support);
o 14.4 million video views;
o 19,700 YouTube subscribers;
o 3.4 million likes on the MTC Facebook page, making it one of the
largest government Facebook communities in the country;
o 39.8 million engagement actions on Facebook (likes, comments and/or
shares);
o More than 2 billion impressions of the campaign’s Public Service
Announcements, earning more than $27M in free, donated airplay;
o Outreach has resulted in over 190 organizations broadcasting
campaign messaging through their communication platforms and
o More than 730,000 pieces of material distributed nationwide....
To read the full Study click HERE.