Help available to aid in handling stress In-person briefings reduce suicide attempts Published July 9, 2010 By Tech. Sgt. Scott Pryor PITTSBURGH IAP ARS -- Stress affects everyone differently, whether it's the fear of losing one's job to handling difficult relationship issues. The reactions can range from minor, like irritability or difficulty sleeping, to the extreme of thoughts of taking one's life. To aid in handling stress, Airmen are required to be briefed yearly on Suicide Prevention either by completing the Advanced Distributed Learning Service course or discussion-based briefings. Maj. Nicole Santoro, Mental Health officer in charge, said that she decided to use discussion-based briefings for 2010 after finding an increased number of suicide attempts when the program went from in-person briefings to the computer based ADLS system. In 2008 there were no reported suicide attempts when Mental Health was performing in-person briefings to the wing. The following year the ADLS computer training was used and there were three cases of members who had suicide attempts, in addition to a decrease in Mental Health's face-to-face interaction with the Wing. "We want to be out there and show that we're accessible," Major Santoro said. "We've put out a lot of promotional materials to get the word out that we are here for the Wing. In addition, this is the only Reserve unit that includes Mental Health as part of the physical exam process to do a brief mental health screening. The result is that we have had more people coming to us for help and being very open with us about their problems. We are hoping to benchmark the program to AFRC." The 45-minute briefings discuss signs to look for that indicate a person is depressed, what to do if someone mentions suicide and confidentiality. Take the time to ask someone you feel may be having issues if they are doing alright or if there is anything that they want to talk about. This may open a door to allow that person to talk freely about his orher problems. She said the individual should be asked two questions if they feel they are upset: "Do you feel like you want to hurt yourself or others?" and "Do you have a plan?" "Don't leave the person if they confide in you about their intentions," Major Santoro said. "Take them with you to get help. Even if you have good intentions, that person could carry out his or her plan while you are gone." Col. Gordon H. ElwellJr., 911th Airlift Wing Commander, said, "If somebody is profoundly stressed, they may release their feelings to you. You arethe target of opportunity that they unload to. We need to take it upon ourselves to look after each other. "If you are stressed, tell somebody. Get it off your chest. Take the opportunity to release that stress." Major Santoro said that besides Mental Health there are other ways to get help, such as taking them to see a Chaplain, 1st sergeant, supervisor, or Airman and Family Readiness. Military One Source is a great resource as, in addition to the invaluable resources available online, it allows Airmen to have up to 12 free sessions with a professional in their local area free of charge with complete confidentiality. Military One Source can be reached at www.militaryonecource.com or 1-800-342-9647.