HEALTH SENSE: For troubled veterans, help is a phone call away

HEALTH SENSE

If you are a veteran in a mental health crisis and you are thinking about hurting yourself-or you know a veteran who is considering this— act now. You are not alone, and you can get help.

For troubled veterans, help is a phone call away

By Katie Yearley AlAskA VA heAlthcAre system

In Alaska, we groan when we first see the signs of “termination dust” on the mountains. The days are growing colder, the nights longer. As we buckle down for subzero temperatures, we should also think about doing things for our mental health.

Some veterans may feel socially isolated in Alaska. Many veterans still have trauma they are trying to deal with on their own.

Navy veteran Joe Angelo has lived in Alaska for 37 years. He thinks it is important that veterans find support from others to help deal with their trauma.

“If a veteran is living alone, he’s alone. So how do you fix that? Well, he would have to fix it by seeking social interaction,” says Angelo.

You may feel you are alone and that you have problems you can never overcome. You may begin to think that suicide is your only option. You do not have to go through this alone.

Rebeca Chace, suicide prevention coordinator, says that suicide prevention helps get veterans connected with many resources to deal with thoughts about suicide. One resource is the Veterans Crisis Line number. You can dial 1-800273-TALK (8255), then press 1 or text 838255 to speak with a responder if you or someone you know is in crisis. The Veterans Crisis Line has over 600 responders and a 99% answer rate, making it the world’s largest crisis call center. You can also chat online with a responder at www.VeteransCrisisLine. net.

Chace says it is completely confidential and that you decide how much information you want to share with the responder. The only time your information is shared is if you give the responders permission or would like care after your talk. If you are in danger of hurting yourself or other people, the responder will need to get more information from you to make sure you and others are safe and to coordinate a dispatch of local emergency services.

Another resource is Same-Day Access.

Alaska VA Healthcare offers SameDay Access to veterans with urgent needs for mental health appointments. If you are in crisis you can use SameAccess to receive immediate care at one of our facilities or schedule an appointment.

Chace says one of the best things you can do is to stay with a veteran until they get the assistance they need.

“If they’re in immediate crisis, we need to stay with the veteran to make sure … there’s no intent … that we have a safety plan, that we have an appointment set up,” says Chace.

If you are a veteran in a mental health crisis and you are thinking about hurting yourself — or if you know a veteran who is considering this — act now. You are not alone, and you can get help.

You can reach Rebecca Chace at 907257-4846 for help and to get connected with additional suicide prevention resources like community partnerships and programs.

Katie Yearley is a public affairs specialist at the Anchorage office of the Alaska VA Healthcare System in the Department of Veterans Affairs.