DGMC focuses on suicide prevention month Published Sept. 7, 2011 By Jenny Pearson 60th Aerospace Medicine Squadron TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- I recently read a Modesto Bee article reprinted on the Calif. website of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It stated that more veterans have committed suicide since 2001 than have died in both the Iraqi and Afghanistan battlefields. I had to stop reading and consider that statement. How can this be? America's finest men and women who risked it all for our freedom are home and experiencing crises so horrible that they result to suicide? Some may guess it's the economic recession, foreclosures, reincorporating into family life, failed relationships, but no one really knows for sure. A suicide recently affected my life. She wasn't someone I saw on a day-to-day basis or even knew very closely; nevertheless the news of her suicide saddened me to the core. The effects of suicide on loved ones are devastating. Every mother, father, son, daughter, sister, brother and friend knows that each life is precious. If you are reading this article you made a sacrifice to protect this great country -- either by direct service, supporting a spouse's service, or by working or volunteering with service members. So this month and all year round, it's important to remember to protect the lives around you every day. If someone seems down or hopeless, talk to them. Ask them if something is bothering them. Be up front, take them seriously and go with them to get help. More than 75 percent of those that commit suicide did things in the few weeks or months prior to their deaths to indicate to others that they were in deep despair. The suicidal person does not want death so much as he wants the pain to end. Suicidal behaviors are a cry for help. You cannot assume that because you feel something is not worth being suicidal about, that the person you are with feels the same way. It is not how bad the problem is, but how badly it's hurting the person who has it. Signs of suicide risk include overwhelming pain; hopelessness; powerlessness; feelings of worthlessness; becoming sad, withdrawn, tired, anxious, irritable or prone to angry outbursts; declining performance in school, work or other activities; social isolation; declined interest in things once enjoyed; neglect of personal welfare, deteriorating physical appearance. Ways to get help: Base Chaplain: 424-3217 (during duty hours) 424-5517 (after duty hours) David Grant USAF Medical Center Mental Health Clinic: 423-5174 Solano County Mental Health Crisis Line (24 hours): 428-1131 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-TALK Suicide prevention is everybody's business because everybody is touched when a tragedy occurs. For more information, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or contact the DGMC's Mental Health Clinic at 423-5174.