The military started suicide prevention training years ago, but advocates say a rigidly-structured system of categorizing patients is failing to take responsibility for at-risk individuals who reach out.
The result: missed opportunities.
U.S. government health experts at a recent conference in Washington said 70 percent of military suicide victims have seen doctors - many of them the same day they commit suicide.
Leon Panetta says the suicide issue is perhaps the most frustrating challenge he has faced as secretary of defense.
“There are no easy answers to the problem and challenge of suicide, but that is no damned reason for not finding the answers for the problem of suicide," he said.
Don Lipstein will never get his son back, but joining an advocacy group, speaking out and raising awareness - are helping him turn tragedy into something positive.
“This is a start...by being able to sit in front of people today and tell the story and hopefully save a life," he said.
Ben Harris hopes the military will adopt a more holistic, less bureaucratic approach.
“The more we can do to continue to educate all of our military members from the bottom rank on to the very top that invisible wounds and emotional illness are just as dangerous to our military being ready to serve, the better it’s going to be," he said.
Michael Harris' epitaph reads: "Too awesome for this world."
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25