![]() Now Williamson is a regular at the Cloverleaf Equine Center in Clifton, Virginia, where riding sessions can be combined with a variety of therapeutic practices and exercises. If a soldier seeks help, they often have to wait weeks for an appointment. During a visit to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska earlier this year, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth heard from base health care workers who say they are understaffed, burned out and can’t see patients on a timely basis. The stresses of an Alaska posting are compounded by a shortage of on-the-ground therapists. You’ve got the Joint Chiefs looking at Alaska and saying, ‘Holy smokes, what’s going on up there?’” “You’ve got to be paying attention to this when you see the statistics jump as they are,” Murkowski said. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said that while posting to Alaska can be a dream for some service members, it’s a solitary nightmare for others that needs to be addressed. “Please send me a DM if you need something. “When did suicide become the answer,” he asked. ![]() Phil Blaisdell addressed his soldiers in an emotional Instagram post. In January, after a string of suicides, Command Sgt. The situation in Alaska is particularly dire. Others are more focused on self-care, like an Armed Services YMCA program that offers free childcare so that military parents can attend therapy sessions. Some are purely recreational, such as an annual fishing tournament in Alaska designed to provide fresh air and socialization for service members. Much like the issue of food insecurity in military families, a network of military-adjacent charitable organizations has tried to fill the gaps with a variety of programs and outreach efforts. And those who seek help often find that stigma is not only real, but compounded by bureaucratic obstacles. Many soldiers fear the stigma of admitting to mental health issues within the internal military culture of self-sufficiency. But daunting long-term challenges remain. Last year the Army issued fresh guidelines to its commanders on how to handle mental health issues in the ranks, complete with briefing slides and a script. “It is imperative that we take care of all our teammates and continue to reinforce that mental health and suicide prevention remain a key priority,” Austin wrote in March. But Austin has publicly acknowledged that the Pentagon’s current mental health offerings - including a Defense Suicide Prevention Office established in 2011 - have proven insufficient. ![]() The Pentagon did not respond to repeated requests for comment. ![]() The study detailed stress factors particular to military life: “high exposure to trauma - mental, physical, moral, and sexual - stress and burnout, the influence of the military’s hegemonic masculine culture, continued access to guns, and the difficulty of reintegrating into civilian life.” ![]() In longtime suicide hotspot postings such as Alaska – service members and their families contend with extreme isolation and a harsh climate – the rate has doubled.Ī 2021 study by the Cost of War Project concluded that since 9/11, four times as many service members and veterans have died by suicide as have perished in combat. In March Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the creation of an independent committee to review the military’s mental health and suicide prevention programs.Īccording to Defense Department data, suicides among active-duty service members increased by more than 40% between 20. ![]()
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