A service member reads a letter. DoD photo by PHCS Mitchell.

“Can caring letters prevent warrior suicide?” The Caring Letters Project, launched by DCoE’s National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2), aims to answer this question. The project is part of the Department of Defense’s efforts to identify and disseminate the most effective suicide prevention strategies.

The Caring Letters Project is a suicide prevention intervention that involves sending brief caring letters and reminders of available treatment to individuals following psychiatric hospitalization. The project is currently underway at Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC) located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Wash.

Although much research has investigated the factors associated with suicidal behavior in both civilian and military populations, there haven’t been many controlled trial studies of suicide prevention interventions. Sending caring letters to patients after discharge from inpatient psychiatry treatment is one of the few techniques that have been shown to decrease suicide according to a randomized controlled trial (Motto & Bostrom, 2001, Comtois & Linehan, 2006).

Here’s how it works:

• Research assistants meet with warriors on the MAMC inpatient psychiatry unit and speak with them about their hobbies, family and plans after discharge

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From left, Darien Crank, Chelsea Jarvis and Cornelius Madison head to class at Fort Campbell High School on Fort Campbell, Ky., April 15, 2010. DoD photo by Elaine Wilson.

*Keep an eye on the Family Matters Blog. Launched by Elaine Wilson, editor and writer for American Forces Press Service, the blog provides great resources and support for military families on topics ranging from deployments and separations to the challenges of everyday life.

This post about war and military teens is republished from her blog.

One of the things I admire most about my children is their unadulterated candor.

I know I can count on them to let me know if my outfit looks less than perfect or if I’m looking particularly haggard that morning. “Mom, I’d change that shirt if I were you,” my 8-year-old daughter will tell me with her big, innocent eyes. “Your hair looks weird today,” my 5-year-old son will tell me with considerably less tact.

I was hoping I’d find the same candor on my trip to Fort Campbell, Ky., and I wasn’t disappointed. I traveled there to interview military teens and write about how they’re coping with this decade of war.

I interviewed three teens on their turf, the Fort Campbell High School, and asked them about every aspect of military life, from what they enjoyed most to what’s been the toughest aspect for them.

I first met Darien Crank, a high school senior, who is preparing to head off to college. His father is deployed, for the third time in six years, and he was very blunt about the impact of his absences on their relationship. “He’s been gone for so long, I can’t even imagine our relationship being really close,” he told me.

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Adm. Mike Mullen calls today’s troops “the best military I’ve ever been associated with,” notes the important role their families play and appreciates the American people's continued support of the military.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-january-6-2010/mike-mullen

Mullen stressed the importance of resilience at DCoE’s November Warrior Resilience Conference. Check out our post on his address here.

 

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Recently, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and one of the highest-ranking military leaders, addressed an audience of over 400 line leaders from across the services, clinicians, care providers and experts from around the United States as they gathered at the Warrior Resilience Conference in Norfolk, Va.

Throughout his comments, Mullen strongly encouraged leaders to model behaviors that promote psychological health. “Don’t wait for somebody else to do it,” Mullen said. “Leaders who ask for help will actually lead the way.”

The chairman formally recognized the importance of creating programs that build resilience and thus, resilient warriors. Over the two-day conference, attendees met and learned principles and practices to increase resilience for mind, body, and spirit in order to strengthen the warrior and unit to adapt and thrive in periods of high intensity and continuous operations.

Mullen acknowledged the issues service members today are facing after more than eight years of combat. The multiple deployments, the length of time absent from families and loved ones, the transition from military to civilian life and the mental and physical wounds of war can be difficult; and undoubtedly, have taken a toll on the men and women serving our nation.

To better support our men and women in uniform, Mullen called for better integration of services between the general public, DoD and the VA, so collectively, programs can be created that have measurable results. He noted he has seen far too many individual efforts go incomplete and urged participants to take action.

"The faster we move on all these things," he said, "the less likely the outcomes are going to be negative."

A question from the audience allowed Mullen to touch on the issue of stigma attached to mental health treatment, a major challenge for those in uniform who could benefit from seeking help. Referring to stigma, we have to continue to “knock that down,” he said.

As Adm. Mullen’s address wrapped up, he urged everyone to seize opportunities now instead of later, stating the challenges affecting troops and their families demand a “sense of urgency.”

Psychological health encompasses all aspects of a person: physical, mental, spiritual, and social. This includes both positive and negative behaviors, attributes and symptoms, including resilience and heartiness.

One of goals of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury is to help service members and families build resilience, which is the development of positive attitudes, behaviors and habits that prepare individuals and families to successfully adapt when faced with overwhelming stress and extreme adversity. Resilience-based training contributes to overall mission readiness of the Armed Forces.

Eating well, getting enough rest and having meaningful relationships and friendships are all helpful in building resilience. Another part of helping military members become more resilient is ensuring that they receive realistic training and have an understanding of the types of situations and events that they will encounter in war. Talking to service members about probable experiences and the normal psychological reactions to difficult events aids in their ability to bounce back when they actually experience such an event.

Supporting military families is also part of building resilient military communities. Family resiliency allows for family members to overcome obstacles and maintain a positive outlook during times of adversity, to face deployments with strength, and helps them weather repeated separations and reunions.

Over the past 25 years, there have been dramatic changes in attitude and views about the behavioral health of service members. The DoD is now communicating to leaders and service members alike that psychological healthcare is an important and legitimate part of every service member’s general medical care. Service members are being trained to look out for the psychological health of their buddies in the same way they look out for their physical health, and leaders are being trained to identify and intervene when service members and families early when a problem occurs, including encouraging service members and families to get help when needed.

In the past, there has been a stigma associated with seeking care for psychological health concerns. Although stigma remains a problem, today, seeking medical assistance from a mental health care provider is usually not a career ender. Many service members who have received mental health care continue to have very successful military careers. Indeed, seeking help when needed can actually improve performance, and thus help a service member’s career.

DCoE recently opened a 24-hour Outreach Center to provide information and referrals to military service members, veterans, their families and others with questions about psychological health and traumatic brain injury. If you have questions, you can contact the Outreach Center at 1-866-966-1020.