CONTENTS

About This Course

Table of Contents

1. The Nature and Scope of Suicide
2. Recognizing the Progressive Development of Suicide
3. Substance Abuse as a Major Contributor to Suicide
4. Suicide Across the Life Span
5. Special Populations and Suicide Risk
6. Prevention and Early Intervention for Suicide and Substance Abuse Problems

Supplements
References
Resources

Holding the Lifeline
A Guide to Suicide Prevention

Violent Death Reporting

Early results of a National Violent Death Reporting System funded by the CDC provide critical information about the risk of suicide among veterans. Virginia is the first of 17 states to report on the results of its reporting system. The results are alarming for a number of reasons, including the fact that suicides outnumbered homicide as the leading cause of violent death in the Commonwealth in 2003.

The report found that one in four suicides involved a veteran. ref

The results underscore the need for suicide prevention and other services for special populations such as veterans. Module 6 of this course provides an overview of the Air Force Suicide Prevention Program, which is being implemented to specifically address suicide risks among active duty military personnel.

Within the military, there is a growing awareness that additional mental health and substance abuse resources need to be made available to active-duty military personnel and veterans. One pivotal organization is the Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), which through its mission seeks to "enhance the overall mental health and substance abuse care of veterans." ref

The Veterans Administration (VA) also has mental health and substance abuse treatment at each of its hospitals and at many outpatient clinics across the United States.