Suicide Prevention Month

September is Suicide Prevention Month. A new PSA encourages women Veterans to reach out for help when needed and to help find the right VA resources.

Suicide Prevention Month: Resources available now and all year to help you face life challenges. You don’t have to go through anything alone.

VA has many treatment options to help Veterans recover from substance use. Here are valuable links to information and programs.

While the public is aware of some key risk factors for suicide among Veterans, they are often unaware of the devastating relationship between substance use and suicide.

You don’t have to go through anything alone. It’s Suicide Prevention Month. Take a moment, Reach Out for support. Here are some ways you can.

Take action to help prevent suicide. Here are some valuable ideas that can help you BE THERE for a Veteran in your life. Maybe just a phone call. Reach out and assure them that they are not alone.

As a member of the VA community, you are in a position to REACH out to Veterans who may be at risk during this difficult time.

All Veterans can help prevent Veteran suicides. You don’t need to be a mental health expert. Veteran peer support helps fellow Veterans feel less alone. You just need to Be There!

In support of Suicide Prevention Month, VA and AMVETS teamed […]

Dr. Carla Stumpf-Patton’s work around suicide prevention and postvention is more than a job. It’s personal. Stumpf-Patton is the surviving spouse of Marine Sgt. Richard Stumpf. He was a Gulf War-era combat veteran who died by suicide in 1994, several days before their only child was born. She now serves as the senior director of Suicide Postvention Programs for TAPS, or Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. Her message to Veterans and military members is clear: comprehensive postvention care is a key to prevention.

Every VA employee has one extra job this month. Preventing Veteran suicides. We do this all year but this month, we want to get the word out to Veterans and their friends and families that help is here.

To shed light on the epidemic of Veteran suicide, BraveHearts—the leading equine rehabilitation program for Veterans in the nation—started its first of three Trail to Zero rides Sept. 7 in northern Virginia. Army Veteran Tim Detert was one of the riders. Detert served from 2005-2010 with the 82nd Airborne, deploying to Iraq twice for 18-month and 13-month tours. Following his service, Detert said he started suffering depression and anxiety, turning to alcohol and opiates. Four friends ended their lives. After a suicidal spell, a friend recommended equine therapy to Detert.