When a Service Member May Be at Risk of Committing Suicide- One of the most difficult challenges you may face as a supervisor or military leader is knowing what to do if one of your service members is at risk of committing suicide. Don't ignore the warning signs. If one of your service members appears to be at risk of suicide, it is vital to get help immediately. Because suicide takes a heavy toll on unit readiness, preventing suicide is a high priority. Everyone -- from leaders to fellow service members and friends -- must help the military member get the help he or she needs. Active-duty, Guard, and Reserve members and their families can call the Military One Source line at 1-800-342-9647, available 24/7 or schedule short-term, non-medical counseling sessions online.

Formerly the Mental Health Self-Assessment Program (MHSAP), Military Pathways offers service personnel and their families the opportunity to take anonymous, mental health and alcohol use self-assessments online, via the phone, and through special events held at installations. The self-assessments are a brief series of questions that, when linked together, help create a picture of how an individual is feeling.

Are you feeling desperate, alone or hopeless? Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), a free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Your call will be routed to the nearest crisis center to you.

Designed to provide information and tools to members of the Air Force community (Suicide Prevention Program Managers, commanders, gatekeepers, IDS members, etc.) in their efforts to help reduce Air Force suicides.

Improve readiness through the development and enhancement of the Army Suicide Prevention Program policies designed to minimize suicide behavior; thereby preserving mission effectiveness through individual readiness for Soldiers, their Families, and Department of the Army civilians.

ACE is the Army-approved suicide prevention and awareness training model. ACE is approximately one and one half hours long. The key training objective is awareness training (risk factors and warning signs).

A comprehensive resource for Marines in distress and leaders who are managing Marines in distress. Includes resource tool boxes for Marines & Family, Commands and Leaders, and Health Professionals.

Suicide is defined in the dictionary as the act of killing oneself intentionally. The reasons behind these attempts are numerous; some may attempt suicide to escape a situation that they think is impossible to deal with.

A resource for Sailors, Commands, and Leaders including prevention posters, news, facts and statistics.

The Suicide Prevention Program provides training and response to suicidal behavior with an emphasis on awareness and prevention.

Suicide Prevention is everyone's business, and VA is enhancing its efforts in this vital area of veteran health.

Information on how to get help and how to recognize the warning signs.

Key contacts when seeking behavioral health care.

Expands access to behavioral health services through video chat and instant messaging.

The Suicide Behavior and Prevention Laboratory at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences is dedicated to the study, development, and empirical evaluation of effective interventions for individuals with suicide behavior.

USU also provides fact sheets through its Courage to Care campaign (Adobe Acrobat PDF):

• Suicide Facts for Primary Care Providers
• Suicide Facts: What Military Families Should Know to Help Loved Ones Who May Be At Risk

The Outreach Center answers questions about psychological health and traumatic brain injury around the clock and every day of the year from members of all the military services (including the National Guard and Reserve), veterans, families, healthcare providers, military leaders, and employers.