Invisible wounds

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Abigail Klein
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs office
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  As deployment rates continue to climb, and the jobs exceed the number of available workers, Airmen may forget to keep their guard up for one of their deadliest foes and greatest allies- their mental health .

"We provide our Airmen the best equipment in the entire would, without a doubt, but it's the Airmen that operate it, it's the Airmen that maintain it and it's the Airmen that support it." said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Roy during the February 2011 Air Force Association meeting.

He continued with, "Our Airmen and their families are the most important asset that we have, and we have to take that into consideration."

Chief Roy's statements were in reference to the number of Air Force suicides last year. In 2010, 100 Air Force members (active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian) committed suicide, this was a 39 percent increase from 2009. Since the New Year, there have already been 17 suicides, said Captain Christopher Button, 22nd Medical Operations Squadron, Mental Health Flight commander.

"Despite the perception that these suicides are due to higher deployment rates, most of the individuals who died by suicide had never deployed, or had only deployed once," Captain Button said.

To combat these statistics, the 22nd Medical Group Mental Health Clinic will host a suicide prevention briefing, "Breaking the Silence of Suicide: A Call to Action," 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., and 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., March 18, 2011, at the base theater. The rise in suicides during 2010 was not the only motivation for the briefing.

"The Air Force has always been a leader [among military services] in suicide prevention," said Captain Button. "The Air Force's Suicide Prevention Program was designed with help from leading mental health experts."

The briefing will feature guest speaker Dr. Jason Deselms, Robert J. Dole Veterans Affairs Medical Center Suicide Prevention coordinator and Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Task Force co-chair. Dr. Deselms will educate Airmen on suicide prevention and intervention, how individuals escalate from passive thoughts of death to suicidal ideation to life threatening behavior and the common reasons for suicide and how to deal with the aftermath of a suicide.


Though these themes may seem repetitive of traditional Air Force Suicide Prevention Training, the method of delivery is more personal to Airmen.

"[This briefing] will allow Airmen to see suicide from a different perspective," Captain Button said. "The Air Force training does a good job at explaining suicide and the warning signs, but this briefing actually puts it into words and will help Airmen recognize an individual at risk for suicide when they are right in front of them."

In addition to increasing awareness, members of McConnell's Mental Health Clinic hope the presentation will lower the stigma of mental health issues that is still present today. The fact that more than 75 percent Air Force personnel who completed suicide had never been seen by a mental health professional solidifies that this stigma still persists.

"I hope that by seeing this presentation, Airmen will be more willing to seek the help they need before their problems escalate," Captain Button said . "Ninety-seven percent of Airmen who seek mental health treatment see no negative career impact. For the three percent who experience negative career impact, often times they only seek help or try to resolve their problems after they have already become bigger than they would have been had they just asked for help in the first place."

For more information about the briefing, call (316) 759- 5095. Airmen are highly encouraged to attend this event.