slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Bill to Reduce Veteran Suicides Could Lead to More Deaths, Psychologists Warn

By Jason Le Miere On 8/11/17 at 3:15 PM

A bill designed to reduce the high number of suicides among military veterans may lead to more former service members harming themselves, according to psychologists. The Oath of Exit Act, introduced by Florida Representative Brian Mast last month, is essentially a “no-suicide” contract, the likes of which have long been discouraged.

According to the text of the bill, 20 veterans die from suicide every day, making the risk 21 percent higher among veterans than among adults who have not served in the Armed Forces. The bill recommends making an addition to the oath of office or oath of enlistment to include a pledge not to cause harm to themselves.

“I solemnly swear [or affirm] to continue to be the keeper of my brothers- and sisters-in-arms and protector of the United States and the Constitution; to preserve the values I have learned; to maintain my body and my mind; and to not bring harm to myself without speaking to my fellow veterans first,” it reads.

Mast, who lost both of his legs in 2010 while serving in Afghanistan, stated that a spoken oath was the strongest form of commitment.

“Throughout our lives, the most important commitments we make are spoken, whether it’s an oath upon joining the military, vows at a wedding or saying the Pledge of Allegiance,” he said. “Integrity is more than just a word to service members, so I know if we say we’ll look out for each other and ourselves, we’ll do it.”

But, speaking to Stars and Stripes, Craig Bryan, a psychologist who is executive director of the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah, said the well intentioned bill could wind up having the reverse effect.

“It won’t work, to put it bluntly,” he said. “At best, it would be a neutral effect, but it could make things worse.”

That sentiment is backed up by numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, with no evidence having been found to support the use of so-called no-suicide contracts or pacts. Indeed, their use has long been discouraged by psychiatrists, for their potential to provide a false sense of reassurance about an individual’s risk of self-harm and discourage him or her from disclosing fully his or her mental state.

“It isn’t just that it didn’t work. It actually had the opposite effect,” Caitlin Thompson, the former director of suicide prevention programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, told Stars and Stripes. “It made it so that the person who signed it wouldn’t talk with their provider about feeling suicidal because of this fear of, ‘I signed this promise.’”

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

This oath needs to be taken by Military Commanders and Civilian authorities, not the Service Member. It is the lack of services, and the absence of care and concern for our Veterans that leads to the utter despair that causes suicide. Someone suffering from severe depression doesn't want to talk to anyone, isolation being one of the premier symptoms, so making them swear to HELP THEMSELVES is ridiculous.

Proper psychological screening prior to mustering out, mandatory screening for anyone drawing a pension or using VA facilities, and forcing the "soon to be civilian" to make contact with a veterans group near his/her hometown ( or wherever they intend to go ), would go a lot further than a signature on a stupid piece of paper. This is another example of a bill prompted by PR, rather than a serious attempt to solve a problem.

Why not order reserve personnel to actively seek Veterans in their area, to see what help might be needed? Many of our returning warfighters are National Guard, who return to their hometowns, so there's no excuse not to know where they are. We send our Service Personnel all over the world, so it shouldn't be such a stretch to send help to them, instead of sitting on our asses waiting for them to seek help on their own. Many who suffer from mental illness do not know that they have such a condition, are not thinking clearly or rationally, and most do not want to step out of the house, much less go talk to someone, and an oath will not affect that at all..............unless that oath is taken by those who are responsible for the wellbeing of the Veteran.

Quakerwidow Loc: Chestertown, MD

Best statement I have seen in a LONG time.

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

I expected no less from Lpnmajor, a former combat Navy Corpsman who has seen the effects of combat upon military personnel. 'Doc' knows about that of which he speaks.