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NEWS | June 9, 2006

SUICIDE: A do and die situation

By Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Doscher 1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

In a recent First Term Airman’s Center suicide awareness briefing, Chaplain (Capt.) Franklin Watts asked everyone who knew someone who had committed or attempted suicide to raise their hands. 

Out of a class of almost 40 Airmen, all but three raised their hands.
 
Their stories were as varied as they were horrifying – friends, loved ones, people they knew. One by one, Airmen talked about people they knew, loved and lost. 

At the end, Chaplain Watts told them, “These are people we pass by every day who have had a suicide in their lives. They don’t wear a sign on their backs. They wear their wounds on the inside.” 

The Air Force has seen an upturn in suicides in recent years. The increase prompted then Secretary of the Air Force James Roche to say in 2004, “This rash has scared the hell out of us.” 

In 2004, there were about 350,000 people serving in the Air Force. Of those, 58 committed suicide, but while that number is only about .0001 percent of the Air Force, that is only the tip of the iceberg according to Chaplain (Capt.) Joe Fisher, 1st Fighter Wing flight line chaplain. 

Unreported suicides usually number five to 25 percent greater than that number, he said. And non-fatal attempts are usually 40 to 100 times greater. 

All tolled, the Air Force estimates that more than 17,000 Airmen thought about suicide.
Trend data shows that white males between the ages of 18 and 24, normally senior airmen and below, are more susceptible to suicides, said Staff Sgt. Liza Zajdel, Life Skills Support Center NCOIC. 

“Statistically speaking, that’s the demographic,” she said. “Usually it’s financial or relationship problems. Normally it’s the younger Airmen who fall into those traps.”
Despite the Air Force’s best efforts to find trends in suicide data, not everyone falls into predictable categories. 

“You can’t profile,” Chaplain Fisher said. “Figures show typical victims are young males, but at the same time, we’ve had a retired chief, a female master sergeant – both were NCOs – not first-term, male Airmen. You can’t say ‘I need to look out for this.’” 

Chaplain Fisher said there is one commonly recurring factor. 

“Stressful events coupled with feelings of loss,” he said. “Unbearable pain, sometimes physical, often emotional. All those have potential, but not all will take that route. They’re going to look like the person sitting across the table from you.” 

“Relationship problems are the biggest causes,” Sergeant Zajdel said. “There are also occupational problems like LORs, LOCs or trouble working with supervisors. Financial problems and family problems and people with suicides in the family are good indicators.” 

Sergeant Zajdel said it’s important for supervisors to know their Airmen, so they can recognize trouble indicators and act on them. 

“Most people who commit suicides don’t want to die, they want someone to talk to them and listen to what they have to say,” she said. “Those that do, usually see suicide as the only way out of whatever situation they’re in.” 

Chaplain Fisher said it is important not to dismiss a warning sign as “just a joke.”
“Not everyone with suicidal thoughts appear blue,” he said. “Sometimes they’ve made peace with themselves. If you see warning signs, ask them directly. I’ve never had anyone upset that I’ve asked them.” 

It’s also important not to dismiss someone’s reason for suicide as implausible.
“Someone else could say, ‘That would not be the reason for me,’” Chaplain Fisher continued. “But for that person, suicide was the way out of the pain. Suicide becomes a blinder, it becomes the only option they see.” 

Chaplain Fisher said most people considering suicide want a way out, if someone will give them one. 

“If given the opportunity, a person who is thinking of suicide will choose life,” he said. “Suicide is with us and will always be with us. They’re people who have gotten to a desperate point in their lives, but given the opportunity by someone who cares, they’ll take it. Being that person who cares is important.” 

Editor’s note: Next week’s installment of this series will explore where people can go for help and what those places provide.