Purpose
Given the challenges of their service paired with physical and psychological trauma, veterans are a vulnerable population in the USA. Suicide is one of the main concerns in relation to these patients due to the high risk of self-harm attempts. The prevalence of the problem is of significant concern because the healthcare system lacks adequate solutions that would meet veterans’ health needs (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2021). Currently, the hospital does not have sufficient mental health support for veterans with suicidal risks. Without such programs, the veteran population’s well-being and longevity are under-addressed. The management of the hospital should seriously consider the abundance of benefits the veteran population will obtain upon implementing a new group therapy program for veterans with suicide risks. Therefore, the purpose of this document is to present a comprehensive strategy for developing an improved community outreach program based on evidence-based therapy for veterans’ better mental health outcomes.
Problem
The issue at the center of this document is the high level of suicide risk in the veteran population and the urgent need to address this problem through therapy to prevent suicide in veterans. Statistical data show that:
- In the general population, suicide is ranked at the 10th position in the leading causes of death in the United States (Johnson et al., 2019);
- On average, over 44,000 people in the USA die because of suicide annually (Johnson et al., 2019);
- Twenty percent of all the suicide deaths are the deaths of military veterans (Johnson et al., 2019).
These numbers vividly demonstrate why this issue needs addressing. Moreover, recent research findings in the field of suicide among veterans demonstrate the causes of the problem.
- Veterans are disproportionately exposed to multiple risk factors contributing to their likelihood to attempt suicide or self-harm:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder;
- Chronic pain;
- Veterans’ “early military separation and dishonorable discharge” (Johnson et al., 2019, p. 16);
- Frequently experienced depression, anxiety, and insomnia;
- Loneliness;
- Maladaptive psychological traits (Nichter et al., 2021);
- Exposure to trauma;
- Persistent thoughts of self-harm.
- The intersection of several of the above-mentioned factors increases the level of risk for a suicide attempt.
- Thus, it is essential to provide veterans with adequate professional and peer support to address most of these factors and prevent suicide.
Problem Analysis
The analysis of the problem at hand reveals that new evidence-based therapy is obligatory. The following are the specific challenges that should be addressed when implementing the solution:
- Individual sessions might be less effective in comparison to group therapy due to the loneliness issues and the need for peer support (Johnson et al., 2019);
- Under-diagnosis of mental health issues in veterans obstructs their treatment opportunities;
- Limited awareness and the lack of information on self-help and professional assistance contribute to the problem.
- In order to improve the situation, the management should allocate necessary resources to launch a group therapy program for suicide prevention in veterans:
- The hospital might cooperate with community services;
- Veterans’ awareness about the risks and causes of suicide attempts should be raised;
- Group sessions should be based on cognitive-behavioral therapy principles (Johnson et al., 2019);
- Self-help resources should be disseminated (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2021);
- Therapy attendance should be encouraged through informational means.
Results of Analysis
While researching the issue, it was found that
- Suicide prevention group therapy is effective when implemented for 1-3 months (Johnson et al., 2019);
- Therapy aimed at addressing multiple risk factors (including insomnia, thoughts of self-harm, depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and loneliness) is most effective (Nichter et al., 2021);
- The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (2021) prioritizes and supports suicide prevention programs, which might be used for the benefit of the hospital’s launching of group meetings.
The issue was researched using the methods of secondary data review in some recently published studies. The information presented by the official website of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs was examined to collect the necessary information. The findings are credible since they are based on reliable resources, such as peer-reviewed academic journals and official federal organizational statements.
Recommendations
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs supports and launches multiple programs to prevent suicide among American veterans. Given the scope of expertise, available resources, and experience of this organization, hospital management is encouraged to cooperate with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to pursue the following goals:
- Find sponsors for program launching
- Train hospital therapists in the field of evidence-based cognitive-behavioral group sessions for suicide prevention;
- Initiate cooperation with community-based organizations to disseminate information about the group sessions;
- Initiate screening of hospital patients for suicide behavior;
- Enroll outpatients with a history of suicide problems;
- Conduct pre- and post-program evaluations to collect results for further program improvement.
It is vital not to leave the problem of suicide among veterans unaddressed. It is the responsibility of the hospital’s management to improve the quality of care for veterans to ensure that their health needs and concerns are properly met.
References
Johnson, L. L., O’Connor, S. S., Kaminer, B., Gutierrez, P. M., Carney, E., Groh, B., & Jobes, D. A. (2019). Evaluation of structured assessment and mediating factors of suicide-focused group therapy for veterans recently discharged from inpatient psychiatry. Archives of Suicide Research, 23(1), 15-33. Web.
Nichter, B., Stein, M. B., Monteith, L. L., Herzog, S., Holliday, R., Hill, M. L., Norman, S. B., Krystal, J. H., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2021). Risk factors for suicide attempts among U.S. military veterans: A 7‐year population‐based, longitudinal cohort study.Suicide and Life‐Threatening Behavior. Web.
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. (2021). Suicide prevention. Web.