A third of military suicides told of plans to die

[The Straight Story]

A third of military suicides told of plans to die

DENVER (AP) -- A third of military personnel who committed suicide last year had told at least one person they planned to take their own lives, a newly released Defense Department report says.

Nearly half went to see medical personnel, behavioral health specialists, chaplains or other service providers sometime in the 90 days before they died, according to the 2010 Department of Defense Suicide Event Report.

That doesn't necessarily reflect a failure in the Defense Department suicide prevention program, said Richard McKeon, chief of the Suicide Prevention Branch at the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

"It's not that some person blew it," McKeon said Thursday. But physical and behavior health care personnel, counselors and other providers need to monitor their programs and look for improvements, he said.

http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/U/US_MILITARY_SUICIDES?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-09-22-15-09-16

[valerief]

1. The military doesn't care. nt