How to support mental health care for veterans and active service members

YOUR VERY KIND. THANK YOU.

MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS

MONTH AND ALL MONTH LONG.

WE'RE BRINGING IN EXPERTS AND

THOSE WORKING TO MAKE A

DIFFERENCE IN SHAPING THE

NARRATIVE AROUND MENTAL HEALTH

AND HOW IT AFFECTS OUR LIVES.

TODAY WE FOCUS ON ALL MILITARY

VETERANS AND ACTIVE DUTY

SERVICE, PERVEZ PERSONNEL AND

WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO

SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND

RESOURCES FOR THOSE WHO HAVE

MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE.

JOINING US THIS MORNING, SARAH

WILSON IS ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

OF PSYCHIATRY AT THE DUKE

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE. THE

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST WITH THE

DURHAM VA HEALTH SYSTEM.

DR WASN'T SO GOOD OF YOU TO BE

WITH US THIS MORNING.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING

ME. SO EXCITED TO CELEBRATE

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

WITH THE LAW IS A LET'S START

WITH THE WHY WAS IT SO

IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE TAKING

MORE AND HAVING THESE OPEN

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT VETERANS,

MENTAL HEALTH RIGHT NOW?

>> SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF

US TO BE AWARE OF VETERANS,

MENTAL HEALTH IN NORTH

CAROLINA. WE ACTUALLY HAVE THAT

ONE OF THE HIGHEST POPULATIONS

OF SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS

ARE IN THE COUNTRY HERE IN

NORTH CAROLINA. AND IT'S

IMPORTANT FOR US. REMEMBER THAT

NOT ALL OF THE IMPACTS AND

DISABILITIES RELATED TO

MILITARY SERVICE ARE VISIBLE.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT A PERSON SEE

MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT

MENTAL-HEALTH CHALLENGES AND

LESS ARE OPEN TO TALKING ABOUT

IT. YEAH. AND THE OTHER

IMPORTANT FACTOR HERE, DR

WILSON IS THE INCREASED RATE

OF SUICIDE AMONG OUR VETERANS

LOOKED AT LAST YEAR'S NATIONAL

VETERAN SUICIDE PREVENTION

ANNUAL REPORT.

>> 17 VETERANS ON AVERAGE DIE

BY SUICIDE PER DAY. SOME OF

THOSE HAVE ACCESS TO GUNS.

EXPLAIN WHY IT'S SO CRUCIAL

TO HAVE AN OPEN, HONEST

CONVERSATION ABOUT GUN SAFETY,

WHICH COULD REDUCE THE RISK OF

VETERANS TAKING HIS OR HER OWN

9TH.

>> AS YOU SAID, SERVICE MEMBERS

AND VETERANS HAVE A HIGHER RISK

FOR SUICIDE ATTEMPTS AND DEATH

BY SUICIDE COMPARED TO THOSE

WHO HAVEN'T SERVED. SO IT'S

REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE

OPEN TO CONVERSATIONS AROUND.

THOUGHTS OF SELF-HARM, THOUGHTS

OF SUICIDE AND FAMILY MEMBERS,

FRIENDS JUST KNOW THAT ASKING A

LOVED ABOUT THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE

OR THOUGHTS OF SELF-HARM DOES

NOT INCREASE THEIR RISK FOR

SUICIDE. SOMETIMES PEOPLE THINK

THAT, BUT IT'S NOT ACTUALLY

TRUE. IT'S ACTUALLY THE

OPPOSITE BEING OPEN TO

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THOUGHTS

OF SELF-HARM OR THOUGHTS OF

SUICIDE ACTUALLY MAKES IT

EASIER TO THEN TO HELP WRITE

AND TO FIND HELP AND TO GET

RESOURCES IF YOU NEED THEM.

AND IF YOU EVER GET STOCK, YOU

CAN ALWAYS CALL THE VETERANS

CRISIS LINE. IF YOU RUN OUT OF

IDEAS AND YOU'RE NOT SURE WHAT

TO DO, YOU CAN CALL THE

VETERANS CRISIS LINE AT 9, 8,

8, AND THEN YOU PRESS ONES.

THAT'S 9.80, AND THEN PRESS ONE

AND SIMILARLY FOR GUN SAFETY

HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS CAN

MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

BEING ABLE TO MAKE AN

ENVIRONMENT SAFE AND NOT REALLY

BEING ABLE TO DO MUCH TO HELP.

SO BE THEY THINK THE CRUCIAL

THING IS BEING OPEN TO THOSE

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SELF-HARM

AND ABOUT GUN SAFETY AND

SECURING FIREARMS. AND YOU'RE

NOT THAT WAS AND THAT'S REALLY

PART OF THE STEPS THAT MANY

FAMILIES CAN TAKE. BECAUSE, YOU

KNOW, SO WE HAVE SOME VETERANS

WATCHING THEIR LOVED ONES OF

WATCHING, TOO. SO.

>> WHAT ARE SOME SIMPLE FIRST

STEPS THEY CAN TAKE TO HELP

GETS A POINT IF THEY'RE

EXPERIENCING SOME TYPE OF

MENTAL ISSUE.

>> IF YOU REALLY HARD TO START

THE CONVERSATION, BUT A LOT OF

TIMES WHAT I SAY IS JUST HAVING

A CONVERSATION AT ALL ARE BEING

OPEN TO A CONVERSATION AT ALL

IS A GREAT FIRST STEP. AND SO

THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING AS

SIMPLE AS IT SEEMS LIKE.

THINGS HAVE BEEN HARD FOR YOU

LATELY. DO YOU WANT TO TALK

ABOUT IT? THE OTHER THING TO

KEEP IN MIND FOR FAMILY MEMBERS

IS THAT SOMETIMES FOR SERVICE

MEMBERS AND VETERANS, THERE

MIGHT BE CERTAIN EXPERIENCES

THAT THEY DON'T NECESSARILY

WANT TO TALK ABOUT WITH SOMEONE

WHO HAS NOT SERVED. THAT'S OK.

AND THAT'S REASONABLE FOR

VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS

OUT THERE WHO ARE LISTENING.

YOU GET TO DECIDE WHAT YOU TELL

TO WHOM WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE

WILLING TO SHARE SOMETHING BUT

JUST KNOW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE

OUT THERE WHO WANT TO TALK.

AND FOR FAMILY MEMBERS WHO ARE

OUT THERE FOR FRIENDS FOR

CO-WORKERS, LOVED ONES JUST

KNOW THAT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY

SOMETHING ABOUT YOU OR

SOMETHING YOU'RE DOING WRONG

IF YOU'RE A VETERAN OR SERVICE

MEMBER HAS SOME THINGS THAT

THEY DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE

TALKING TO YOU ABOUT. AND SO

DR WILSON, VIOLENT EAGLE,

REMIND OUR VIEWERS ABOUT THAT

NUMBER. YOU JUST GAVE WHERE

THEY CAN CALL AND GET HELP.

>> YEAH. SO IF YOU'RE

EXPERIENCING A MENTAL HEALTH

CRISIS, YOU CAN CALL THE

VETERANS CRISIS LINE. 24 HOURS

A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK, THE

NUMBERS, 9, 8, 8, AND THEN YOU

CAN PRESS ONE TO SPEAK TO

SOMEONE FROM THE VETERANS

CRISIS LINE THAT THE SARAH

WILSON VERSUS APPRECIATE THIS

HELPFUL INFORMATION THIS

MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR