Suicide Prevention: From the Top to the Trenches

By the Health.mil Staff

From heads of state to Main Street civilians, the grand ballroom was charged with words of advocacy and hope during the fourth annual DoD/VA Suicide Prevention Conference in Washington, D.C. last week.

The three-day event offered a glimpse into technological options on the horizon, such as the National Center for Telehealth and Technology’s (T2), Virtual Hope Box, that will function as an electronic box that’s chock-full of innovative, yet tangible, reminders of why life is truly worth living and interactive text messaging which offers immediate and ongoing human connection for those on the brink or in the midst of turmoil.

Yet, in the thick of the presentations that spotlighted strategic collaborative initiatives and groundbreaking technological advances, emerged the personal stories of strength, bravery and hope that seemed to be the shot in the arm desperately needed to revitalize communities whose intent it is to solve the problem of suicide among service members and veterans.

Auspiciously flanked by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Jonathan Woodson and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, was a young University of Notre Dame graduate named Tregg Duerson.  By his own admission, he is not in the military nor is he from a military family.  He is, however, intimately familiar with the tragic effects of suicide. 

Duerson’s father, NFL great Dave Duerson, committed suicide in February 2011.  Suspecting he had developed a debilitating brain condition -- later identified as chronic traumatic encephalopathy -- the celebrated athlete scribbled his final words in a note that would contain a good bye to loved ones and a request that his brain be donated to the NFL’s brain bank for research.  He took his life with a gunshot to the chest, leaving his family devastatingly blindsided.  None of his friends or family knew of his voiceless despondency.

The day before Duerson addressed attendees, Woodson spoke of three imperatives that underscored the conference theme of “Back to Basics: Enhancing the Well-Being of our Service Members, Veterans and their Families.”  He spoke of the need for vigilance and being on guard for what the “buddy on the left” and the “buddy on the right” needs. “These are the responsibilities all of us have,” he said.  Additionally, he stressed the importance of efforts to reduce the stigma many associate with seeking mental health care.  The third imperative emphasized the importance of talking about the successes that have been achieved in the crusade against a most insidious enemy, suicide.

Following Duerson, Panetta passionately proffered a strategic four-step plan of attack in suicide prevention which included vigilance, improvement to behavioral health care and greater accessibility, elevation of mental fitness, and improved understanding of suicide and related mental health issues through greater scientific research.

Concluding in an unapologetic crescendo, Panetta strongly admonished, “All of us, and frankly for that matter all Americans, have to always support and care for those who have stepped forward to defend our country in uniform. “We are a family, and by God we have to take care of our family members.”

Hope sprang eternal in Duerson as this passionate, unvarnished speaker told the story of a loving father, a committed teammate and a man with a secret – sadly, a health-related secret for which he did not seek professional help.  Duerson’s message punctuated a week-long refrain that proclaimed a call for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.