This article is authored by Keith Hotle, CEO of Stop Soldier Suicide.
Without question, suicide is a complex and wicked problem. However, I am more confident than ever that we can take meaningful, tangible, and vital steps forward toward solving the suicide crisis within the military community and beyond.
With Suicide Prevention Month upon us, we have a natural opportunity to pause, survey the landscape, and consider what it will take to drive forward against this issue.
All of us who care about veterans and service members find ourselves confronted each day by the reality that veterans are 58% more likely to die by suicide than those who have not served. We lose 6,400 of our military brothers and sisters to this scourge each year – a trend that tragically has held steady for more than two decades.
We can’t allow ourselves to be crippled by the harsh reality that suicide within the military community continues to rage. To save more lives, we must challenge ourselves to be increasingly effective, rely on the evidence of what works, and engage in innovative solutions that challenge the status quo of current suicide prevention efforts.
As someone who has experienced a meaningful career dedicated to suicide awareness and prevention, I feel strongly about what it will take to continue making a tangible impact in the face of this complex problem. By no means do I think it is simple or easy, but I am certain that, together, we can change the reality for veterans and service members.
What will it take to truly advance suicide prevention within the military?
We must further lean into data and uncover new insights that will both save lives and inform clinical modalities. We can’t let hunches, intuition or feelings drive the manner in which we allocate our limited prevention resources. Where appropriate, we must sometimes be critical of current practice and take a hard look at programs and policies that might sound like good ideas but lack research-based support of their efficacy. Veterans need to be able to trust that we’re asking tough questions and holding ourselves accountable to outcomes. Data-driven decisions are key to engendering this trust.
For these reasons, I am excited for our continued progress of the Black Box Project, which relies upon the digital devices of individuals who have died by suicide. This groundbreaking data project uncovers novel insights about their private online activity in the minutes, hours, days and weeks leading up to their deaths. Because of the courage of loss survivor families who have loaned us these devices, we have been able to use AI and machine learning to glean new insights into the behavior of at-risk veterans during these critical moments. While the process is complex and the approach is novel, we have established a strong proof of concept and generated meaningful outputs to share with the suicide prevention field in our newly published white paper.
We also lean into data with our ROGER Wellness Service, our suicide-specific clinical care program that uses evidence-based assessment instruments, safety planning methodologies, and clinical pathways to produce life-saving outcomes for our high-risk clients. Through rigorous program evaluation, we hold ourselves accountable to results that help our veteran clients move from extraordinarily difficult places into productive, thriving lives.
We can’t advance in suicide prevention efforts without a feedback loop from those we are so honored to serve. Reading testimonials like, “Roger has placed me back on track to a future where this pain will no longer derail my life” in conjunction with quantitative data reporting that 81% of clients who were meaningfully engaged in our care were able to manage their thoughts and feelings by the end of treatment, tells a story of true impact.
Research across the field of suicide prevention has established how deeply intertwined our mental health is with our sense of connection, purpose, and safety. If we are serious about mental well-being for veterans, we need to be serious about how we are fostering healthy relationships. Isolation erodes a sense of purpose, but the opposite is also true: connection creates a sense of purpose.
If you are someone who loves or is friends with a veteran, consider how you are cultivating that relationship. You do not need a clinical degree to be a great friend, family member, or loved one. Connection saves lives in a highly personal and one-on-one way.
As Stop Soldier Suicide enters into its 15th year as the leading nonprofit dedicated solely to preventing military and veteran suicide, we know we cannot solve this issue alone. We need a wide base of support among many partners with diverse strengths and vantage points. It is incumbent on all of us to collectively bring our expertise, experiences, and resources to the table.
We need care and contributions from volunteers. We need corporate partners to help us expand brand awareness through cause marketing and funding. We need financial support and missional alignment from passionate donors at all financial levels. We need other experts in suicide prevention to join with us to help inform our continued growth and evolution clinically. And, we need everyday folks who are making a big impact in their immediate sphere of influence - like those who help connect veterans to our ROGER Wellness service.
Consider yourself officially invited to join our mission to fight suicide within the military. Donate, volunteer, host an event, follow us on social media, invite us to be a corporate partner, tell your veteran friends about us. You can choose how to engage but know that we need you in the fight. This is how we will create the necessary groundswell to save more lives.
One death by suicide is one too many. Each suicide impacts upwards of 135 people. Each loss sets off shock waves of pain, grief, and devastation. We need fathers who are still around to attend Little League games. Friends who are still here to tell those inside jokes. Moms who help children become incredible human beings. And coworkers who are still here to help you work through the day-to-day challenges. Our veterans are amazing, loved, valued, and needed. Together, we must keep pushing for real solutions that advance this life-saving work.
The question now is, will you join us?
Keith Hotle is CEO of Stop Soldier Suicide. Hotle holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Wyoming and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas Law School. His background includes service as a senior public health administrator and his experience is marked by extensive community service. He is focused on creating programs and services that meet veterans where they are, providing life-saving resources and support. Hotle is passionate about developing services that bring hope to veterans and empowering them to build healthy, fulfilling lives.