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Written By Shannon Decker

CDP Presents: Suicide Prevention from Elite Athletes to High-Performance Military

Description: In this 90-minute webinar, facilitated by Dr. William Parham and Shannon Decker, participants will learn more about suicide prevention efforts as it relates to elite athletes and those in high-performance roles. The session will highlight the unique risk and protective factors for those in high-performance positions. In addition, this webinar will briefly identify therapeutic approaches effective in the management and treatment of individuals at risk for suicide. Participants will leave with knowledge about the cultural shifts required for high-performance communities to reduce the risk of suicide and promote better general mental health.

Learning Objectives: After this webinar, participants will be able to:

  1. Assess for suicide risk and protective factors for elite athletes and those in high-performance roles.

  2. Appraise therapeutic approaches to treat individuals at risk for suicide.

  3. Justify cultural changes to allow high-performance communities to embrace mental health care.

Date, Time & Location: September 8, 2021, 12-1:30 p.m. EST via Zoom

Resources

These resources might not be for you. They might not be for now. But someday, they could help save a life.

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Veterans from all eras are reacting to the events in Afghanistan, such as the U.S withdrawal and the takeover by the Taliban.

You are not alone.

Veterans may question the meaning of their service or whether it was worth the sacrifices they made. They may feel more moral distress about experiences they had during their service. It’s normal to feel this way. Talk with your friends and families, reach out to battle buddies, connect with a peer-to-peer network, or sign up for mental health services. Scroll down for a list of common reactions and coping advice.

Resources available right now

Common Reactions

In reaction to current events in Afghanistan, Veterans may:

  • Feel frustrated, sad, helpless, grief or distressed

  • Feel angry or betrayed

  • Experience an increase in mental health symptoms like symptoms of PTSD or depression

  • Sleep poorly, drink more or use more drugs

  • Try to avoid all reminders or media or shy away from social situations

  • Have more military and homecoming memories

Veterans may question the meaning of their service or whether it was worth the sacrifices they made. They may feel more moral distress about experiences they had during their service.

Veterans may feel like they need to expect and/or prepare for the worst. For example, they may:

  • Become overly protective, vigilant, and guarded

  • Become preoccupied by danger

  • Feel a need to avoid being shocked by, or unprepared for, what may happen in the future

Feeling distress is a normal reaction to negative events, especially ones that feel personal. It can be helpful to let yourself feel those feelings rather than try to avoid them. Often, these feelings will naturally run their course. If they continue without easing up or if you feel overwhelmed by them, the suggestions below can be helpful.

Strategies for Managing Ongoing Distress

At this moment, it may seem like all is lost, like your service or your sacrifices were for nothing. Consider the ways that your service made a difference, the impact it had on others’ lives or on your own life. Remember that now is just one moment in time and that things will continue to change.

It can be helpful to focus on the present and to engage in the activities that are most meaningful and valuable to you. Is there something you can do today that is important to you?  This can be as an individual, a family member, a parent, or a community member. Something that is meaningful to you in regard to your work or your spirituality? Such activities won’t change the past or the things you can’t control, but they can help life feel meaningful and reduce distress, despite the things you cannot change.

It can also help to consider your thinking. Ask yourself if your thoughts are helpful to you right now. Are there ways you can change your thinking to be more accurate and less distressing? For example, are you using extreme thinking where you see the situation as all bad or all good?  If so, try and think in less extreme terms. For example, rather than thinking “my service in Afghanistan was useless” consider instead “I helped keep Afghanistan safe.”

Finally, consider more general coping strategies that you may want to try including:

  • Engage in Positive Activities. Try to engage in positive, healthy, or meaningful activities, even if they are small, simple actions. Doing things that are rewarding, meaningful, or enjoyable, even if you don’t feel like it, can make you feel better.

  • Stay Connected. Spend time with people who give you a sense of security, calm, or happiness, or those who best understand what you are going through.

  • Practice Good Self Care. Look for positive coping strategies that help you manage your emotions. Listening to music, exercising, practicing breathing routines, spending time in nature or with animals, journaling, or reading inspirational text are some simple ways to help manage overwhelming or distressing emotions.

  • Stick to Your Routines. It can be helpful to stick to a schedule for when you sleep, eat, work, and do other day-to-day activities.

  • Limit Media Exposure. Limit how much news you take in if media coverage is increasing your distress.

  • Use a mobile app. Consider one of VA’s self-help apps (see https://www.ptsd.va.gov/appvid/mobile/) such as PTSD Coach which has tools that can help you deal with common reactions like, stress, sadness, and anxiety. You can also track your symptoms over time.

  • PTSD Coach Online. A series of online video coaches will guide you through 17 tools to help you manage stress. PTSD Coach Online is used on a computer, rather than a mobile device, and therefore can offer tools that involve writing.

If you develop your own ways of adapting to ongoing events and situations, you may gain a stronger sense of being able to deal with challenges, a greater sense of meaning or purpose, and an ability to mentor and support others in similar situations.

Upcoming Professional Development:

Training Workshop in Crisis Response Planning, September 30th, 2021 from 10am-6pm EST

This workshop is designed for providers who see veterans or military personnel within their practice to enhance individuals’ knowledge about crisis response planning for managing acute suicide risk, and to increase their ability to confidently and competently administer this intervention with at-risk individuals. The first half of the workshop provides didactic knowledge about suicide, the development of the crisis response plan intervention, and its empirical support, all of which are designed to increase knowledge. The second half of the workshop includes clinical demonstrations by the instructor and skills practice by attendees, which are designed for individuals to acquire skill competency. (6.5 Continuing Education credits (APA, NBCC, NASW) available for live attendance)

Shannon Decker
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