Suicide Prevention Among Veterans
with Tara Consolino, a Director of Case Management for Substance Use Disorders Treatment and Suicide Prevention for the Detroit VA Medical Center
Many Veterans don’t show any signs of an urge to harm themselves before doing so. But some may show signs of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, or hopelessness, like:
Seeming sad, depressed, anxious, or agitated most of the time
Sleeping either all the time or not much at all
Not caring about what they look like or what happens to them
Pulling away from friends, family, and society
Losing interest in hobbies, work, school, or other things they used to care about
Expressing feelings of excessive guilt or shame, failure, lack of purpose in life, or being trapped
They may also change the way they act, and start to:
Perform poorly at work or school
Act violently or take risks (like driving fast or running red lights)
Do things to prepare for a suicide (like giving away special personal items, making a will, or seeking access to guns or pills)