A military suicide prevention program in the Israeli Defense Force: a review of an important military medical procedure.

Leah Shelef,Eyal Fruchter,Lucian Laur,Gil Raviv

doi:10.1186/s40696-015-0007-y

Abstract

The phenomenon of suicide during military service is not unique to the Israeli military and other armies. Soldiers’ age––adolescence––is a known factor contributing to suicide, in light of psychological processes of identity formation and self-definition, the stresses of military service, and above all, the availability of weapons. The stigma of seeking help deters some soldiers from getting the assistance they need when they need it most, thus contributing to the higher suicide rate. In the previous decade the IDF initiated intensive and structured preventive procedures aimed at reducing suicide rate among soldiers. The IDF’s Suicide Prevention Program (SPP) was grounded in professional knowledge and backed by military policy changes, both critical to the implementation and change processes. The SPP includes thorough psycho-education and guidance, supervision, greater accessibility of mental health officers, and lower accessibility of nonessential weapons. The SPP has succeeded in reducing the suicide rate by almost 50 %.The aim of this article is to review the background of the design of the IDF’s SPP and its major components, leading to the current success.

Highlights

The phenomenon of suicide during military service is not unique to the Israeli Defense Force (IDF)
There are several known elements contributing to the elevation in suicide rate
One of the most critical elements is the high accessibility to weapons [5, 8,9,10]. Another group of contributing factors is related to adolescent characteristics: emotional turmoil, identity formation, and self- identity processes [11,12,13]

Summary

Introduction

The phenomenon of suicide during military service is not unique to the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) It is a global occurrence, investigated by researchers of various armies [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. One of the most critical elements is the high accessibility to weapons [5, 8,9,10]. Another group of contributing factors is related to adolescent characteristics: emotional turmoil, identity formation, and self- identity processes [11,12,13]. Other factors relate to military service stressors [12,13,14] and to the stigma of seeking assistance within the army [14,15,16]

Objectives

Findings

Conclusion