Suicide and the Armed Forces

According to the U.S. Armed Forces Medical Examiner, suicide is the third leading cause of death within the armed forces, behind accidents and illness. To help clinicians better assess and manage suicide risk, the U.S. Air Force awarded the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) Training Institute at EDC a contract to train 1,300 clinicians at 45 Air Force installations around the world.

SPRC faculty will travel to Air Force locations in England, Germany, Italy, Japan, and South Korea. Workshops will be held at U.S. bases, including Andrews AFB (near Washington, D.C.), Langley AFB (Norfolk, Virginia), and Wright-Patterson AFB (Dayton, Ohio).

According to SPRC’s David Litts, the Air Force has been a leader in suicide prevention. “In the mid-1990s, the Air Force made prevention a priority, and put into place a sweeping, public health-oriented suicide prevention program requiring annual, mandatory trainings for all mental health staff,” says Litts. “The Air Force program has been internationally recognized as a model.”