Wingman Stand Down 2010 Published May 5, 2010 By Kate McGraw 436th Medical Operations Squadron clinical psychologist DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- To call attention to the recent alarming increase in non-combat related Air Force deaths, primarily due to suicide and private motor vehicle accidents, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen Norton A. Schwartz, has directed an Air-Force wide 'Wingman Stand Down' day in May. Air Mobility Command and Dover Air Force Base have scheduled 'Stand Down 2010' May 10. All units are required to participate; the expectation is 100 percent of our Airmen will be trained. The focus of the day will be suicide prevention, the Wingman concept, and motor vehicle safety. Activities will take place at the unit level and will emphasize awareness, accountability, team building, communication and group interaction with the intention of saving lives, reducing injuries and supporting/protecting all personnel working on our installation. We all play a part in helping to keep each other safe and healthy. One way we can do this is through the Wingman concept. Think for a moment about a very difficult time in your life. One of your most difficult moments may have been listening to a friend or family member tell you they wanted to die. Hopefully, if you have ever found yourself in this situation, you knew exactly what to do and say to comfort that person. You knew to take them seriously, and you let them know you cared about them. You ensured they received professional help as soon as possible, and you followed up frequently until they were well beyond their crisis. Did you know that most people who die by suicide tell someone else of their intent before taking any action? One of the reasons a suicidal person tells someone of their plans is that they hope they'll be heard by someone who cares, they hope someone will intervene and remove their pain. The pain of a person who is suicidal is described as a real physical sensation that overwhelms the person and disrupts all good reason. Most people who are suicidal are not really sure about actually dying. Most want to escape their psychological pain and don't have the coping skills to realize there are other constructive ways out of their temporary difficulties. We can help someone who is suffering mentally by being available to listen to them, by not judging their feelings, and by encouraging someone who is deeply depressed to get professional help. You may be interested to learn that there are risk factors that help us identify people needing extra help who may be at risk for suicide. At greatest risk are newly single young adult males with relationship difficulties who become intoxicated while struggling with depression. Other combined risk factors include financial or legal problems, chronic pain or illness, history of mental illness, significant loss in the past twelve months and a family history of suicide. These risk factors may help us develop a profile of the likely victim, however, keep in mind that adolescents and the elderly also have a high rate of suicide. Additionally, lack of strong social support appears to be a serious factor in a person's risk to commit suicide. Unfortunately, their quality of social connection may be impacted by mental illness. Also, suicidal individuals may not feel the support of social connection to others as they withdraw and become more isolated and depressed. Their supportive social connection may also be hampered by other more external factors, many beyond the control of the suicidal individual or others surrounding the individual. Finally, some suicidal individuals act impulsively as a result of an intense reaction to a sudden event and there are no opportunities for anyone to intervene. But there are actions we can take as a society to prevent suicide. As a concerned friend, supervisor or commander, the best things you can do for someone who is suicidal is to listen, provide a caring presence and facilitate the person getting professional help. As a society, we can volunteer our time and talents to develop and implement strategies to reduce suicide. As a base community, we need to do much more together to prevent suicide and reduce the rate of suicide among all populations. If someone you know is thinking or talking about suicide, you can always walk in or encourage them to walk in to the Mental Health Clinic on the 3rd floor of the hospital Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. After duty hours, you can call your friends, family, supervisor, shirt, commander or chaplain if you are in crisis. It's important you know the number for the Suicide Hotline, 1-800-273-TALK, if you need someone anonymous to talk with. You can even dial 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. It's most important that you or your friend get help. Our successful suicide prevention effort requires all of us to be committed to reduce the number of lives lost every year to suicide in the USAF, and to continue to do our personal best to prevent suicides at Dover.