Real Warriors E-mail Update

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Thursday, September 1, 2011

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Suicide Prevention Month

September is Suicide Prevention Month. The Real Warriors Campaign is observing this event by sharing our suicide prevention-related resources and stories with you. Several of our Real Warrior profilees have shared their stories of overcoming suicidal ideation to encourage others coping with similar experiences to reach out for care and support:

You can also visit the Message Boards to share or learn about the tools and resources available or spread messages of strength. For example, one veteran shared his story of reaching out for support for his suicidal ideation and the ways in which individuals can encourage fellow service members to do the same in a post within the Active Duty section.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the Veterans Crisis Line for Service Members, Veterans and Families at 800-273-TALK and press 1. If you need information or help locating resources for psychological health, contact the DCoE Outreach Center at 866-966-1020 or log onto Real Warriors Live Chat.

Suicide Prevention Articles

Suicide Prevention Resources for Military Families

Warriors coping with depression or post-traumatic stress may feel like there is no escape from their symptoms, which can lead to thoughts of suicide or engaging in high-risk behavior. You can use the information in this article to educate yourself about how to tell if a loved one may be experiencing thoughts of suicide, and what you can do to help him or her find the strength to reach out for help.

You Are Not Alone: Suicide Prevention Tools For Warriors

The most important step in combating thoughts of suicide is reaching out for professional support. Professional support is critical to recovering peak functioning, and the suicide prevention tips and resources in this article can also help you on your journey of resilience.

You Are Your Friend’s Biggest Support

Suicide within the armed forces community is ultimately preventable, and even one is too many. That’s why it’s critical to speak up if you have concerns about a friend’s or fellow service member’s psychological wellbeing. Use the information in this article to recognize when a fellow warrior may be at risk for suicidal thoughts or behaviors, and what to do when you identify a concern.

E-Cards Can Make a Difference

Encourage the warriors in your life to reach out for support. Send them one of our service-specific e-cards and let them know you care.

Real Warriors Campaign Posters and Ads

Real Warriors Campaign posters and ads are a great way to display your support for the Real Warriors Campaign. These service-specific materials feature family- or unit-oriented images to reach out to all members of our military community. To encourage help-seeking behavior among service members and veterans with invisible wounds, download and print the posters and campaign ads or order copies of the posters through our online shopping cart.

Partner Spotlight

Working Minds provides tools and networks to workplaces to assist with suicide prevention, intervention and postvention. Working Minds engages workplace communities with three strategies: establishing a workplace suicide prevention network, providing state-of-the-art training and changing the culture of suicide prevention in the workplace. The organization’s website includes a Suicide Prevention Program blueprint, which models best practices for suicide prevention in the workplace and provides links to additional resources, training and education programs.

Video Profile: Maj. Jeff Hall

Share Your Story

The Real Warriors Campaign is looking for new profilees for our video profiles, which spotlight stories of real service members who have reached out for support or sought treatment and are continuing to maintain successful military or civilian careers. If this sounds like you, share your story with the Real Warriors Campaign.

Upcoming Events

The Real Warriors Campaign may be in your area soon! Visit our Events tab on Facebook to keep up with campaign events. You don’t need a Facebook account to visit the Events tab, but we’d love for you to like us online.

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