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Suicide Awareness
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Overview

• The AF and Suicide Prevention
• Suicide Trend
• AF Study Findings
• Knowledge and Beliefs
• Warning Signs
• Common Characteristics
• Adolescents vs. Adults
• Strategies for Prevention
• Responses
• Physical Conditioning

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Study, Trend USAF History
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AF Study Findings

• 50 spoke of their intentions before committing
  suicide
• 53 were clearly depressed
• 76 had relationship problems
• 43 had severe work problems

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Knowledge and Beliefs

• Occurs across all spectrums of society
• Often a cry for help
• May occur ithout prior warning
• Depression is a frequent precursor
• Females make more attempts
• All suicidal people arent depressed, mentally
  ill, or insane

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Myths

• Directly asking about suicide plants the idea
• Ignoring a minor suicide attempt is preferable to
  addressing it
• Suicide in a family increases the chance of other
  family members attempting sucide
• Few professionals commit suicide

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10 Warning Signs

• Specific talk about suicide
• Trouble eating or sleeping
• Withdrawal from friends or social activities
• Loss of interest in hobbies, work, sex, and
  school
• Giving away prized possessions

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10 Warning Signs

• Previous suicide attempts
• Suffered a recent or severe loss
• Preoccupied with death or dying
• Loss of interest in personal appearance
• Increased use of alcohol or drugs

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Common Characteristics of Suicide Victims

• Intense emotional pain
• Frustrated needs for security
• Suicide is seen as only solution
• Hopeless and helpless
• Stop pain by ending awareness
• Black and white thinking death the only answer

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Common Characteristics of Suicide Victims

• Feeling of ambivalence want to die, but want to
  live
• Give clues about imminent suicide
• Want to run away from pain
• Lifelong pattern of poor coping skills

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Adolescent vs. Adult

• Adult more impulsive
• Involve more anger, risk taking, and drugs
• Adolescents make more attempts
• Family history of divorce or suicide
• Low self-esteem is common
• Heavily influenced by relationships

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Strategies for Prevention

• For yourself
• Acknowledge your own clues and warning signs
• Seek assistance for depression
• Talk with a trained confidant
• Understand that life has cycles--good and bad

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Strategies for Prevention

• For others
• Immediate
• Remain calm
• Dont leave the person alone
• Call for ER or Mental Health
• Long term
• Promote unit wide sensitivity
• Identify at risk personnel
• Know your resources (chaplain, counselor, etc.)
• Be available and supportive

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Response to Suicide

• Supervisor/Commander
• Inform unit members of circumstances
• Dont talk about details
• Emphasize dealing with stress
• Request debriefing from Life Skills Clinic
• Conduct personal interviews with at risk
  individuals

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LINK
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Physical Fitness
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Additional Resources

• For additional resources on suicide awareness and
  prevention, go to
• www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/sascasstats/
• https//www.afms.mil/phsd/PHSO/ToolKits/

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Suicide Awareness