Special Report
Building Strong and Resilient Communities
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife, Deborah, address the audience at the 2nd Annual Suicide Prevention Conference sponsored by the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments in Washington, D.C., Jan. 13, 2010. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley
Mullen Voices Concern with Suicide Rate
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2010 – Suicide is a growing problem in the military community, and its leaders must be committed to reversing that trend, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in an address to an audience of more than 1,000 military and other government agency health-care workers and officials gathered here for the 2nd Annual Suicide Prevention Conference. Story
Better Mental Fitness Will Help
Prevent Suicide, General Says
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2010 - Preventing suicide is more than simply recognizing the signs, it involves building strong community and individual support before the idea ever sets in, the Army's top psychiatrist and director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury said here today. Story
Officials Urge Collaboration
In Suicide Prevention
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2010 – No clear-cut answers to suicide prevention exist, but collaboration and team work from federal and private institutions can help the nation better address the challenge, Defense and Veteran Affairs department officials said. Story
'Real Warrior’ Describes Stress
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2010 – Iraq veteran Army Staff Sgt. Megan Krause has received help for her post-traumatic stress disorder through the Real Warriors Campaign. “I discovered there was no shame in admitting that I was in trouble and needed help,” she said. Story
Veteran Gives Insight to Suicide Prevention
WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2010 - When retired Army Maj. Ed Pulido was medically evacuated from Iraq in August 2004, he knew tough challenges were ahead, as he'd have to learn to live without his left leg. But as he sat in his hospital bed at Brooke Army Medical Center on Fort Sam Houston, Texas, he began to realize that recovering from his physical disability was only a small part of that challenge. Story
Voices on Suicide Prevention
Many voices on psychological health and suicide prevention are being shared at the joint DoD-VA Suicide Prevention Conference that is underway until Thursday – ranging from the warrior, to the family member, to the spiritual advisor, to the health-care provider, to the line leader. Become part of the dialogue. Please share your thoughts, questions and ideas with us... Read More
Related Stories
Podcast Series Addresses
Post-deployment Challenges
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2010 – Servicemembers and their families can get help coping with post-deployment stress through a new series of podcasts profiling the personal stories of those who have lived it. Story
Conference Explores Trauma’s Impact
BETHESDA, Dec. 11, 2009 – The nation must move beyond the “suck it up and drive on” military culture of the past and look to a future that puts psychological and spiritual injuries on par with physical ones, according to the Army’s highest-ranking psychiatrist. Story
Center Assesses Psychological Treatments
NORFOLK, Va., Nov. 4, 2009 – Treatment for servicemembers suffering from psychological trauma really is a brave new world. Before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there was little research on effective treatments and not much pressure to add to what existed, said Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Loree Sutton, director of the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. Story
Muppets Help Military Kids Cope With Grief
NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2009 -- Sesame Street Workshop's “Talk, Listen, Connect” multimedia initiative helps children, especially military children, deal with separations from loved one, changes to those loved ones when they return, and the death of a loved one. Story
Behavioral Health Conference
Looks for Best Ways to Help Veterans
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2008 – Behavioral health issues affecting veterans returning from deployment took center stage during the first day of a three-day conference in Bethesda, Md., titled “Paving the Road Home: The National Behavioral Health Conference and Policy Academy on Returning Veterans and Their Families.” Story
Officials Break Ground for Brain
Injury Center of Excellence
WASHINGTON, June 5, 2008 – Just inside the gates of the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., officials ceremoniously turned the dirt at the site of what will become the military’s premier institute for the study and care of psychological health and traumatic brain injuries. Story
DoD Changes Security Clearance
Question on Mental Health
WASHINGTON, May 1, 2008 – The Defense Department will change a question on its long-standing security clearance form referencing an applicant’s mental health history because officials believe it is needlessly preventing some people from seeking counseling. Story
Leaders Should Step Up, Receive Mental Health Care if Needed, Chairman Says
WASHINGTON, May 1, 2008 – The nation’s top military officer today called on military leaders across the services to set the example and get mental health care if they need it. Story
Report on Vets’ Mental Health ‘Very Consistent’ with Military Findings
WASHINGTON, April 17, 2008 – A study released today shows that nearly 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression, findings that military health officials called “very consistent” with their own. Story
Army Moves Aggressively to
Treat Blast-Related Injuries
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2008 – The Army is aggressively diagnosing and treating soldiers who suffer concussive injuries and stress related to blast attacks, according to the Army surgeon general. Story
Centers of Excellence
