Two years have passed since I publicly discussed my brother’s suicide and how it impacted me in this very forum. It was a huge step for me at the time, disclosing this secret that I guarded carefully. I had the sense that it would be cathartic for me, but I also knew I couldn’t take it back once it was out there. In retrospect it’s one of the most important things I’ve ever done.
40%
The percentage of enlisted women diagnosed with a mental health condition within a year after a combat injury, according to a story in Military Times reporting on a study by Judy Dye, a researcher with the Naval Health Research Center -- Factors That Contribute to Mental Health in Combat Injured Military Women.
Welcome to this week’s edition of CDP News! We like to use this space to review recent happenings in and around the Center for Deployment Psychology, while also looking ahead to upcoming events. September is already over and we’re heading into a busy October.
The weekly Research Update contains the latest news, journal articles, useful links from around the web, including a special section on suicide prevention. Some of this week's topics include:
● PTSD Symptom Severity, but Not Trauma Type, Predicts Mental Health Helpseeking in the Military.
● Sex differences in mental health symptoms and substance use and their association with moral injury in veterans.
● Association Between Trust and Mental, Social, and Physical Health Outcomes in Veterans and Active Duty Service Members With Combat-Related PTSD Symptomatology.
● Intentional Injury and the Risk of Subsequent Hospitalization for Attempted Suicide.
When I was an active duty Air Force psychologist, I learned early on in my career the importance of working closely with active duty Chaplains. In fact, Chaplains and behavioral-health providers often served on several base-level committees together focused on community initiatives. We collaborated regularly on population health-based suicide prevention efforts and crisis response following traumatic events, as well as taught relationship enhancement workshops together. I believe that caring for our Service members takes all hands on deck (to use a Navy saying).