Veteran suicide prevention tips

INDIANA – While the holidays can be a time of great happiness and joy, they can also be a troubling time for those dealing with stress and mental health issues, including many veterans.

Here are some tips from Veterans Affairs for family, friends, and caregivers to help their loved ones.

What are the signs that someone may be considering suicide?

Many Veterans don’t show any signs of an urge to harm themselves before doing so. But some may show signs of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, or hopelessness, like:

  • Seeming sad, depressed, anxious, or agitated most of the time
  • Sleeping either too much or not enough
  • Not caring about what they look like or what happens to them
  • Pulling away from friends, family, and society
  • Losing interest in hobbies, work, school, or other things they used to care about
  • Expressing feelings of excessive guilt or shame, failure, lack of purpose in life, or being trapped

They may also change the way they act; for example, they may:

  • Perform poorly at work or school
  • Act violently or take risks like driving fast or running red lights
  • Do things to prepare for suicide (like giving away special personal items, making a will, or seeking access to guns or pills)

Here are some other signs of crisis. Learn about common suicide myths and realities, veteran-specific suicide risks, and warning signs here.