Community based efforts to reduce suicides in veteran community

Not stuck fighting Combat PTSD alone I tried to point out that veterans should not try to fit back in with the rest of the population but connect with other veterans. In the company of veterans, they thrive because they find mutual understanding, support and above all, they are among family.

No one really fits in with society. No matter how you want to break things up and boil it down to a soundbite, the truth is, people end up in groups no matter what group they feel comfortable with.

I am with several different veterans groups but each group does different things, has different types of members and I wouldn't expect them to hang out together other than the occasional event where different groups come together. While all are veterans, they still stick together in their smaller groups.

So why has there been so much interest in getting veterans to fit back in with the other 93% of the population when even they hang out with their own groups?

Community-Based Approach Necessary to Preventing Suicides Among Military Families
Huffington Post
Ron Avi Astor
Professor of social work and education University of Southern California
Posted: 05/09/2014

The well-being of our servicemen and women--and their families--is a concern not only for the military, but for civilian society as well. Supporting those who have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as they transition into our workplaces and neighborhoods is our duty as Americans, makes our communities stronger, and builds a solid foundation for our ability to face future challenges as one nation.

That's why recent reports on poor mental health outcomes and thoughts of suicide among military family members are extremely troubling. And with Congress now considering a bill that would track these deaths among military families, both the public and private sectors should be alerted to the needs of military children and spouses and ready to provide support.

The 2013 Military Family Lifestyle Survey Report from Blue Star Families, for example, showed that 9 percent of military spouses say they have considered suicide. And we know from the California Healthy Kids Survey, which has included data on both military and non-military students since 2011, that adolescents with either a parent or a sibling in the military are at a higher risk of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. Recent findings appearing in the Journal of Adolescent Health show that a quarter of ninth- and 11th-grade students with a military parent or sibling thought about ending their lives (compared with 19 percent of civilian youth), according to a survey given to 14,000 California students.
read more here

Community based efforts do work but they work because they are filled with other veterans and their families. That is what is missing from a lot of efforts and this neglected demographic needs to come together to support each other even more.