Box 9
Example of Suicide Prevention & Changing Attitudes about Mental Health Care
- Program: Air Force Initiative To Prevent Suicide
- Goal: To reduce the alarming rate of suicide—one in every four deaths, 1990-1994 among—active duty U.S. Air Force personnel. Suicide was the second leading cause of death, after unintentional injuries, in the Air Force.
- Features: The Air Force Chief of Staff, in 1996, initiated a community-wide approach to combat suicide through hard-hitting messages to all active duty personnel. The messages recognized the courage of those confronting life stress and encouraged them to seek help from mental health clinics—moves once regarded as career-hindering, but now deemed "career-enhancing." Other features of the program: education and training, improved surveillance, critical incident stress management, and integrated delivery systems of care.
- Outcomes: From 1994 to 1998, the suicide rate dropped from 16.4 to 9.4 suicides per 100,000 (Litts et al., 2000). By 2002, the overall decline from 1994 was about 50 percent (Figure 5). The University of Rochester is also conducting an external evaluation of the program.
- Biggest Challenge: Sustaining the enthusiasm by service providers as the program has become more established.
- How Other Organizations Can Adopt: "The program's principles should be transferable to any community. Every community has leaders and the most basic elements of organization," said Dr. David Litts.
- Contact Point: Dr. David Litts, Advisor to the Surgeon General and Executive Director of the Air Force Program on Suicide Prevention (1996-1999)
- Sites: All U.S. Air Force locations throughout the world
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