Source: Click here Once every 72 minutes. That's how often U.S. military veterans kill themselves. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, around 20 veterans committed suicide per day in 2014 - the most recently available statistics. Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin has labeled the figure “an unacceptable statistic,” according to The Hill. “We’re reaching out to community groups, to academic groups,” Shulkin was quoted as saying. “We’re doing research in this

Source: click here 1. Say the S word. Suicide. Yes, it can be uncomfortable to talk about, but the more you practice saying the word, the less uncomfortable it becomes. There is a misconception that talking about suicide will make someone more likely to act on it, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. 2. Be mindful of your language. Be aware of saying things like, “That makes me want to kill myself,” when you really mean something like, “That made me frustrated.” Makin

Source: Click here ARLINGTON, VA (WUSA9) - For the first time, service members who have died by suicide were officially honored at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention requested the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to honor all victims of suicide. The gesture was enormously fulfilling to several family members of suicide victims watching and taking part in the ceremony. “This is the first time on a nati

Source: Click here Story Highlights Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death among all Americans and #2 for ages 10 to 34. There were 41,149 suicides in 2013 in the United States or one every 13 minutes Males are four times more likely to commit suicide than females and represent 78% of suicides Females are more likely to have suicidal thoughts. (Source: Center for Disease Control) Eleven Lebanon County residents have taken their lives this year, according to the county’s t

Source: Click here "Suicide is considered a whispered word. But those who have attempted it - and their friends and relatives - are sharing their stories to heal and help others in crisis. Watch our full-length digital documentary." About this series We talk about suicide all the time: a turn of phrase here; a hushed conversation there; the obituary that omits the manner of death. But as a community, we avoid talking about the issue directly and openly. We do this despite the

Source: Click here As we commemorate our honored fallen soldiers on Memorial Day, I ask my fellow New Yorkers to take note of the roughly 20 veterans who commit suicide every day. The mental-health issues many of our veterans face is a serious problem that must be addressed. Fortunately, there are ways to improve this immediately. Unfortunately, it shouldn’t have taken this long. We got a stark reminder of this on May 18. A man was sitting in his car just before noon, ready t

Source: click here Gina Bentle talks about the affect suicide has on the people left behind Monday, Nov. 14, 2016, at her home in Lancaster. Bentle's biological father and her fiance both committed suicide. LANCASTER - Everyone knows that suicide cases spike during the holidays, right? New Horizons Mental Health Services clinical director Nate Green said just the opposite is true - they traditionally drop in December and rise again in January. Green said December is the lowes

Source: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Survivor Day On November 19th, 2016, we attended a Survivor of Suicide Loss event hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) at the Radisson Hotel in Camp Hill. We are so fortunate to have been so close to an event, we literally live right down the road from the venue. We are also fortunate that events like this and resources like this for survivors even exists today. Please reach out to the AFSP if you o

Source: Click here (**click to visit news article where you can see an interactive map showing the varying rates of suicide among differing states) Rates of veteran suicide vary widely by state. Certain factors that make someone more susceptible to suicide, things like being over the age of 45, in a rural area, American Indiana/Alaska Native or White, people from areas of higher poverty and lower education, and access to firearms. Many of those people can be found in the Nort

Source: click here Many veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury. Russell Midori/DVIDS SHANNON, Miss. — Deep in the mountains of Afghanistan, Jamie Locastro heard the sharp patter of bullets raining above him in the Korengal Valley. A month earlier, Jamie trained with his 120-man brigade, getting used to the humidity and 120-degree weather. He joined the infantry to be like his father, Tommy. His brother, Gabriel, enlisted with the infantr