SUICIDE PREVENTION
MILIFE Guide: Suicide Prevention
The Defense Department (DoD) is strongly committed to preventing suicide within our military community through suicide prevention, intervention and postvention initiatives.
Suicide is a public health issue that affects Americans across all communities and walks of life, including the military. Its causes are complex and involve a number of factors, including biological, psychological, environmental and social influences. A key goal of suicide prevention is to reduce risk factors and increase resilience and wellness.
The DOD embraces the public health approach to suicide prevention. This evidence-based approach shows that providing support services, talking about suicide, reducing access to means of self-harm and following up with loved ones are just some of the actions we can all take to help others.
Suicide: What you need to know–A Fire Chief’s Guide
Published by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, this guide is part of an ongoing Behavioral Health series to support Firefighter Life Safety Initiative 13: Firefighters and their families must have access to counseling and psychological support.
If you suspect another of, or are yourself thinking of Suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline toll free 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255. Or chat with a Suicide Prevention Specialist online at: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/
PTSD
APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD:
https://apa.org/ptsd-guideline/ptsd.pdf
IMPLICIT BIASES
We all have biases. Being biased isn’t inherently wrong. How we respond to those biases influences how we feel about ourselves and others. It can also impact how we treat others.
Do you know what your biases are? Harvard put together an implicit bias test. Take it. The more you know about yourself, the more you can be intentional with your behavior.
Additionally, if you look at common reasons fire departments end up in litigation, biases and discrimination are often present.
WARNING: You make not like your results and may need to process those reactions. That is common. Seek to understand what you become defensive about and why.
Implicit Biases Test:
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