Suicide in the Military

Suicide in the Military Free Online Research Papers Stressed by war and long overseas tours, U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year at the highest rate on record, the toll rising for a fourth straight year and even surpassing the suicide rate among comparable civilians. Army leaders said they were doing everything they could think of to curb the deaths and appealed for more mental health professionals to join and help out. Clearly, the military is going above and beyond to try and prevent further lives from being taken. According to the sociologist Emile Durkheim, when a person has a very strong degree of social connectedness, he or she may identify with its values or causes to such an extent that the sense of his or her own personal identity is diminished. For example, the values of the military predominated over the individual’s values. Such is the case in altruistic suicide, which has been defined as the â€Å"the self destruction demanded by a society as a price for being a member of that society.† (DeSpelder Strickland). The highest officer in each service told lawmakers they are working hard to fix the problems - devoting more senior leadership attention, instituting more and better training, attacking the stigma of asking for help, hiring more mental health providers and working across agency lines to keep an eye on and fund care for at-risk troops who transition back to civilian life. The specific steps range from implementing or strengthening â€Å"battle buddy† programs to ensure troops look out for each other; embedding, as the Marines have done, more mental health professionals within units; improving the â€Å"handoff† from the war zone to providers back home; and ensuring better continuity of care when troops transition from military to VA care, officials said. (Air Force Times, 2009) This is the first time since the Vietnam War that the rate of suicide in the Army, about 20 deaths per 100,000 soldiers, has surpassed the civilian suicide rate. Last year in the Army alone there were 140 suicides, translating into a rate of 20.2 per 100,000 soldiers. Also, the number of Army suicides increased for the fourth consecutive year, according to the Army’s 2008 Suicide Data report released on January 29, 2009. The Army’s high suicide rate is attributable in large part to deployment stress, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff stated. Long deployments and other factors including job-related difficulties and financial, personal and legal problems are other contributing factors. â€Å"A high mission tempo clearly can place strain on a military, and with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 12 months or longer deployment rotations and 12 months or less downtime at home, the Army certainly has been busy,† Chiarelli said. The Army found about 35 percent of suicides came after soldiers returned home from deployment, while another 35 percent of suicides occurred among soldiers with no history of deployment. 30 percent occurred while soldiers were in the field. To help combat the suicide increases, the Army has entered into an unprecedented five-year, $50 million partnership with the National Institute of Mental Health (American Forces Press Service). The purpose of the study is to understand the urgency of the situation, to identify risks and prevention factors, and to develop new and better intervention. The knowledge will benefit both soldiers and families as well as the civilian population. One of the key issues the Army has been trying to address is the feeling among many soldiers that seeking psychological help is a sign of weakness and could be harmful to their career. Since Oct. 1, an average of three hot line callers per day have identified themselves as being on active duty, said Kathryn Power, director of the Center for Mental Health Services in the Department of Health and Human Services. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that indicates many conflicted troops continue to feel a sense of stigma over reporting suicidal thoughts to superiors or military mental health officials. â€Å"When you’ve got this many people feeling they can’t talk to someone within the system, that’s a problem,† Graham said. â€Å"We must eliminate the perceived stigma, shame and dishonor of asking for help,† said Adm. Patrick Walsh, vice chief of naval operations. â€Å"This is not simply an issue isolated to the medical community to recognize and reso lve† Such efforts should include keeping an eye on those closest to the suicide victim, said Brian Altman, acting chief operating officer for Suicide Prevention Action Network USA, a Washington-based public policy and advocacy group. (Air Force Times). The Air Force lost 38 airmen to suicide in 2008, a rate of 11.5 suicides per 100,000 airmen. The average over the past five years - since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom - was 11 deaths per 100,000 annually. Of the airmen lost in 2008, 95 percent were men and 89 percent were enlisted. Young enlisted men with a rank of E1 to E4 and between the ages of 21 and 25 have the highest risk of suicide. Recently released data indicates that active duty males carry, for the first time in known history, a suicide risk greater than that of comparable males in the general population (Psychotherapy Brown Bag, 2009). This is particularly noteworthy considering that the military entrance process screens out serious mental illness prior to entry onto active duty, and that the rate of suicide in military males has historically been significantly lower than comparable civilian populations. To help prevent and reduce these alarming statistics, military psychologists and mental health professionals have begun research to gain empirical support for a simple model to improve assessment, treatment, and prevention of suicidal behaviors in active duty members. In a report to Congress, Craig Duehring, assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower, said, â€Å"there does not appear to be a strong correlation between deployments and suicide.† A check of deployment records found that from 2003 to 2008, only 39 Air Force suicide victims had deployed in the previous 12 months. Another 150 had never deployed. A more common indicator of risk was seeking mental health counseling for issues ranging from alcohol abuse to marriage counseling, Duehring’s report said. Fifty-five percent of airmen who killed themselves had attended counseling sessions (Air Force Times, 2009). Other factors in the Air Force suicide rate include relationships gone awry and poor communication between the treating mental health providers and commanders. There is always tension in the military between confidentiality and the need to communicate with supervisors. This is now being addressed so that soldiers can discuss personal issues without being worried a bout facing discharge. The Navy’s suicide rate has remained roughly steady over the past four years, but suicide ranks as the service’s third-leading cause of death, said Walsh. The Navy reported 41 suicides in 2008, a rate of 11.6 per 100,000. About 39 percent of the sailors who committed suicide last year were facing disciplinary action, he added. Financial issues were also a factor, said Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick West. West added that the Navy has been setting up support programs such as operational stress control, and has also vamped up its financial counseling programs. The Marine Corps lost 41 Marines last year to confirmed or suspected suicides - up from 25 two years earlier - a rate of 19 per 100,000. General James F. Amos, USMC, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, said the most likely Marine to die by suicide is a Caucasian male, 18 to 24 years old, between the ranks of private and sergeant. The most likely cause is a failed relationship with a woman. Active duty military members aren’t the only ones who are affected by suicide. According to Dr. Thomas Insel, the director of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, post-war suicides may outnumber deaths from combat. In the aftermath of war, many experience symptoms such as numbness, irritability, depression, difficulties in relationships, and guilt at surviving when others did not. The term posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been used to describe such symptoms, although such reactions have also been termed â€Å"delayed grief syndrome† or posttraumatic grief disorder.† (DeSpelder Strickland, 2005) People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the persons daily life. The two main forms of post combat mental illness include PTSD and depression, both of which are cited most often as causes of suicides by returning soldiers. Among additional factors related to the suicide rates are personal, marital and family problems, repeated and extended deployments, extended periods of hard combat and even undiagnosed preexisting mental disorders. The military has stated that at least one in five American soldiers who were deployed overseas to Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from some degree of PTSD. Army officials have been committed to finding out why more soldiers committed suicide in 2008 than ever recorded. â€Å"It’s a national problem we’re committed to doing everything we can to address (the issues) better and (and) put programs in place,† said Army Secretary Pete Geren. The Army is using a variety of short- and long-term programs. One of those is the Strong Bonds program. Strong Bonds has specialized programs for single Soldiers, couples and families. Those Soldiers being deployed or redeployed can also learn special coping tactics. Strong Bonds empowers Soldiers and their loved ones with relationship-building skills, and connects them to community health and support resources. It is a holistic, preventative program committed to the restoration and preservation of Army families, even those near crisis. The program is initiated and led by the Army Chaplains. More than 90% of those who have attended the program rate it positively. Another program recen tly launched is called Battlemind. The objective of Battlemind is to reduce combat stress reactions. The staggering statistics of combat are eye-opening: 65% of deployed soldiers have have seen a dead or seriously injured American, 50% have had to handle or uncover human remains, 48% are responsible for the death of an enemy combatant, and 21% have had to save the life of a Soldier or civilian. Combat leaves haunting memories. After the shooting stops, the mind must â€Å"sort out and file the almost incomprehensible facts of war† (DeSpelder Strickland). The Air Force has aggressively pursued increasing community awareness of suicide risks and available services and decreasing the stigma surrounding accessing mental health services. Senior Air Force staff reinforce the perspective that suicide prevention is a community effort and regularly distribute notices to personnel regarding the problem of suicide within the Air Force (USAFMS, 2000). Regular staff development courses have also now incorporated suicide prevention education for all officers. Such training describes the risk and protective factors for suicide, including contexts and symptoms of acute suicide risk, and when and to whom to refer individuals at risk of suicide. Enhancing the mental well-being of the entire unit is conveyed as each staff member’s responsibility. Supervisors and unit members alike are encouraged to persuade those facing mental health issues (including substance abuse and domestic violence) to self-refer to counseling. The Air Force presents such actions as a means of increasing unit productivity and helping the individual reach his or her fullest potential, and explicitly states these goals as motivation for commander-directed mental health evaluations when individuals do not self-refer (USAFMS, 2000). Further, the Air Force has implemented suicide awareness training for staff, changed certain Air Force policies in response to epidemiological research, and developed a database for collecting a broad array of information regarding suicide attempts and completions throughout Air Force personnel and their families. Clearly military suicide numbers are rising at an alarming rate, but I believe the military is doing all it can to reverse this disturbing trend. Some people wonder why we should care so much about military suicides compared to civilian ones. Service members go to war because we ask, or rather demand, that they do so. We owe them our best effort to make them as whole as they can be. I care about members of the military because theyre serving their country by doing difficult and dangerous work for small tangible reward. For that, they deserve the best of medical care, including mental health care, and if something about their current situation is causing a significant increase in depression, that needs to be investigated and dealt with. REFERENCES Carden, M.J. (2009, January 29). Army Works to Combat Rising Suicide. Retrieved from defenselink.mil/utility/printitem.aspx?print=defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=52879 DeSpelder, L.A., Strickland, A.E. (2005). The last dance. Boston: McGraw-Hill. McMichael, W.H. (2009, March 23). Suicide rates remain high. Retrieved from airforcetimes.com/news/2009/03/airforce_suicide_032309w/ Morrow, C. (2009, September 1). Suicide in active duty military personnel. Retrieved from psychotherapybrownbag.com/psychotherapy_brown_bag_a/2009/09/suicide-in-active-duty-military-personnel-the-september-2009-psychotherapy-brown-bag-featured-articl.html Ritchey, J. (2009, February 09). US military suicide on the increase. Retrieved from speroforum.com/a/18082/US-military-suicide-on-the-increase SUICIDE IN THE MILITARY 1 Research Papers on Suicide in the MilitaryArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Influences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesQuebec and CanadaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Assess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeTwilight of the UAWLifes What Ifs

11 Things You Must Avoid During ACT Practice Tests

Things You Must Avoid During ACT Practice Tests SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re using practice tests for your ACT prep, great job! That’s the best way to prepare for the ACT, but how do you make sure you’re learning from each ACT practice exam you take? How do you make sure you’re really prepared for the actual ACT? You must sit for each ACT practice exam with realistic testing conditions. What might you be doing (maybe on accident) that’s destroying your realistic testing conditions? #1: Not Using Accurate ACT Timing When taking ACT practice test, you need to use the exact timing from the real ACT.The ACT is extremely tough on time. It’s a very fast-paced test.If you’re not using the actual timing in your practice, you won’t be ready the day of your ACT test. Use the real ACT time on your practice test, so you have your pacing down when you take the real ACT.Think of ACT prep like marathon training. You wouldn’t show up to run a marathon without timing your practice runs and expect to win 1st place. Do you know the exact timing of the ACT?If not, you can find the time allowed for each ACT section listed on the first page of that section of the practice test. See below: If you’d like to know more about timing, read about the exact timing of the ACT. #2: Using Your Cell Phone Wait, Dora, didn’t you just say I need to time my ACT practice tests, and if I can’t use my cell phone, how do I do that?You need to use a watch.If you ignore my advice and use your cell phone to keep time, you’ll likely feel a little lost in timing when you’re not able to use your cell phone the day of the test. (NOTE: you can’t use your phone at all at your test center even during the test breaks). So don’t use your cell phone! Buy an inexpensive watch like this one which you could use when you take the real ACT.Buy the watch now so that you can start using it during practice tests, so you get familiar using it to pace yourself. But, Dora, what if I time myself with my cell phone in airplane mode?No!!!That’s better than using your cell phone in regular mode. However, you will still feel lost the day of the test when you can’t use it to time yourself the day of the test. Dora, what if I need to use my cell phone as a calculator?BAD!As I said, you won’t have access to your cell phone at all while at your test center, so buy yourself an approved calculator now if you don’t have one and use it during your practice on ACT Math. You can check Instagram when your practice test is over! #3: Using Your Calculator During the Entire ACT Practice Test While we’re talking about calculators, remember you can only use your calculator on the math section.Do not have your calculator on your desk for the Reading, Writing, Science, and the Essay.Only have your calculator during the one math section that allows you to use a calculator. #4: Watching TV, Listening to Music, and/or Wearing Ear Plugs Some students watch tv and/or listen to music while taking ACT practice tests, and it will be a distraction, decreasing their score because they can’t concentrate.Others watch tv and/or listen to music, and it helps them maintain their focus, artificially increasing their score.Whichever category you fall into, you should never have the TV or music playing while you take an ACT practice test.Familiarize yourself with taking the ACT in a quiet room. However, you cannot wear ear plugs during your practice tests.I understand many people like wearing ear plugs because it cuts out background noise and helps maintain focus.The ACT doesn’t allow you to wear ear plugs. Get used to hearing background noise as you take your practice tests because when you take the ACT, you’ll have to deal with background sounds of paper moving, pencils writing, erasers rubbing, and more. #5: Eating and/or Drinking At the real ACT, you cannot eat during the test.However, you’ll be able to eat and drink outside of your testing room during the breaks.Don’t eat/drink while taking your ACT practice tests (except during breaks). There are two important reasons not to:If you're attempting to eat/drink and take the test at the same time, you may be very distracted and reduce your score.Also, you get a boost of energy when you eat or drink.This boost may make the ACT seem â€Å"easier.†Then, on the real ACT, you might be surprised when the ACT seems â€Å"longer† and â€Å"more difficult† because you don’t have the artificial energy boost from food/drink. As I’ve said earlier, the ACT is like a marathon.Train for it with the same intensity.During your ACT practice, only have food/drink during the breaks. No food or drink! #6: Taking Extra Restroom Breaks You will not be allowed to leave your test to go to the restroom.You’ll be forced to wait to go to the restroom until the breaks.You need to get familiar with holding it until the break! Practice this during your ACT practice tests.You don’t want to be thinking about how badly you need to use the restroom while trying to concentrate on your ACT. I strongly suggest you use the bathroom right before the ACT begins (or you start your ACT practice test), so you start with an empty tank. #7: Not Sitting at a Desk Where you take your ACT practice test is significant, don’t take the test on your couch or in your bed!Take the ACT practice tests while sitting upright at a desk.If you ignore me and take your practice tests on the couch/bed, you might feel strange during the actual ACT when you’re forced to sit at a new, uncomfortable desk for four hours. Make sure your practice test environment is just like the actual ACT test environment.You should be sitting at empty desk or table with nothing other than your ACT practice test print out, pencils, erasers, and calculator (when allowed). Sit at a nice clean desk! #8: Splitting the ACT Practice Test Over a Few Days At the start, I said the ACT is like a marathon.Marathon runners aren’t permitted to split up a marathon over a few days.You must practice taking full-length ACTs.I understand if you don’t have 4 hours every day to take a full-length practice ACT, but you should take at least two full-length practice tests before taking the real ACT. On the days where you don’t have time for the whole practice test, you need to complete at least one full section of the ACT.For example, take the full 60-minute math section without any breaks.If you sit for just one section, the same rules mentioned in this article apply: no phone, no extra bathroom breaks, etc. #9: Not Filling Out the Scantron I know it’s tempting to forget about the scantron and just to circle the answers in your ACT practice test.Using a scantron can be tricky, so you don’t want your first time using one to be on the real ACT.While doing ACT practice tests, bubble in your answers as you work through each section. Practice bubbling in so that you don’t accidentally bubble in wrong answers the day of the real ACT.If you have some time at the end of the section, I recommend checking your scantron answers with your booklet answers to make sure you didn’t accidentally bubble any answers incorrectly. #10: Using Pen While practicing with the scantron, you also must use a pencil and eraser!You’re required to use a #2 pencil on the ACT (not even a mechanical pencil!).I suggest you have at least 3 sharpened #2 pencils when you take the ACT. Additionally, you should bring a basic pencil sharpener and a big eraser.Take your ACT practice tests with these items. On the real ACT, you want to feel confident and comfortable.To get that feeling, you need your ACT practice to be as similar as possible to the real testing environment!Get familiar having these supplies on your desk. Get comfortable sharpening a broken pencil with your hand sharpener! For many students, any small issue can be distracting during a big test (I know it did for me!).Practice with your pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpener, so you don’t get flustered on the real ACT. Don't use any support! #: Using Any Support Material Finally, don’t use any additional material while taking ACT practice exams.As I said, on the real ACT, you won’t be allowed anything on your desk except for your test booklet, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpener, and your calculator (only during the math section).So don’t use anything other than those materials during your ACT practice! Don’t use a formula cheat sheet, and don’t use a dictionary to look up words!There will be not outside help during the real ACT, so don’t use outside help during your practice. If there are words you don’t understand while taking a practice test, try to figure out their meaning using context clues.Try to answer questions without looking up vocabulary.Circle the words you don’t know, so when you’ve finished, you can easily go back to those words and look them up in a dictionary. Summary: How to Get the Best ACT Practice All of the above can be summarized in one sentence: follow the rules of the ACT during your practice tests!Realistic practice will prepare you the best to excel on the ACT and is key to feeling prepared and relaxed on the day of the actual ACT. Do you still feel uncertain as to how to make your practice tests the ideal prep for test day? Check out our guide to getting realistic ACT practice. What’s Next? Not sure where you’d like to go to college? Figure out how to find your target school. Interested in attending a top college? Check out our guides to getting into Harvard and Stanford! Struggling with your college application? Learn how to write your personal statement and how to write about extracurriculars. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also have expert instructors who can grade every one of your practice ACT essays, giving feedback on how to improve your score. Check out our 5-day free trial: