Florida National Guard to launch program on suicide

Fla. Guard to launch program on suicide
The aim is to provide mental health help to returning troops.
By William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer
Published February 14, 2008


In the military, telling someone they might need to see a psychiatrist is not always an easy sell.

Few admit depression because they think it's a career ender.

That's a barrier the Florida National Guard says it wants to eliminate.

On Wednesday, the Guard said it was preparing to soon launch a federally mandated suicide-prevention program to ensure the 9,000 troops it has deployed since 2003 know that seeking help isn't shameful.

The program seeks to educate leaders within the Guard - right down to the squad level - about symptoms and how to get help within the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Guard intends to emphasize there is no stigma attached to the mental health issues that a soldier brings home from the front.

Guards around the nation are implementing similar programs, though the mandate apparently doesn't come with funding.

Florida Guard leaders say suicide among its returning troops is not perceived to be a problem. They said they have seen one suicide among their troops since 2003.
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