On July 3, 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs launched a pilot on-line Chat Service, in partnership with Lifeline.  The Veterans Chat Service is located at the VA National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

Veterans Chat enables Veterans, their families and friends to go online where they can anonymously chat with a trained VA counselor. If the chats are determined to be a crisis, the counselor can take immediate steps to transfer the chatter to the VA Suicide Prevention Hotline, where further counseling and referral services are provided and crisis intervention steps can be taken.
The online feature is intended to reach out to all Veterans who may or may not be enrolled in the VA health care system and provide them with online access to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline and provides Veterans with an anonymous way to access VA’s suicide prevention services.
Veterans (and family members or friends) can access Veterans Chat through the Lifeline suicide prevention website.

Know the Signs
Watch for these key suicide warning signs, and provide the Lifeline number to anyone exhibiting them.

• Talking about wanting to hurt or kill oneself
• Trying to get pills, guns, or other ways to harm oneself
• Talking or writing about death, dying or suicide
• Hopelessness
• Rage, uncontrolled anger, seeking revenge
• Acting in a reckless or risky way
• Feeling trapped, like there is no way out
• Saying or feeling there's no reason for living.
  

How to recognize when to ask for help (MS Word) Signs, Myths and Realities

Suicide Risk Assessment Guide (pdf pocket card) 

 

This month, VA has expanded on an advertising campaign that debuted in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area.  The campaign is now active in 124 cities, with advertisements on local buses.  The ads are designed to make veterans and their family members aware of the VA Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255), which is available around-the-clock, seven days a week.

VA also has been distributing brochures, wallet cards, bumper magnets, key chains and stress balls to veterans, their families and VA employees to promote awareness of the Lifeline number and educate its employees, the community and veterans about how to identify and help those who may be at risk.  Contact a VA Suicide Prevention Coordinator for more information.  To locate a Suicide Prevention Coordinator, use the Resource Locator*

 

Dr. Jan Kemp* , VA's National Suicide Prevention Coordinator,  has been presented with the 2009 Federal Employee of the Year Award  on September 23rd at the prestigious Service to America Medals annual gala at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.  Dr. Kemp is being recognized for her role in the development of the Suicide Prevention Hotline in July of 2007.

Since its inception, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline has directly saved more than 5,000 lives from suicide and provided counseling for more than 185,000 Veterans and their loved ones at home and overseas. The Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK, is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by trained mental health counselors. They stand ready to serve Veterans, or any loved ones who know a Veteran experiencing an emotional crisis. VA added an online chat feature to the lifeline in mid-2009. The Service to America Medals award program pays tribute to America's dedicated federal workforce, highlighting those who have made significant contributions to the U.S. Honorees are chosen based on their commitment and innovation, as well as the impact of their work addressing the needs of the nation.

Suicide Prevention Coordinators

Each VA Medical Center has a suicide prevention coordinator to make sure veterans receive needed counseling and services. Calls from the Lifeline are referred to those coordinators. Locate your local suicide prevention coordinator*.

New Hires

VA has hired more than 3,900 new mental health employees since 2005 – bringing our total number to more than 17,000. Of these, 400 are devoted to preventing suicide among veterans.

New Mental Health Center

VA has opened a Mental Health Center of Excellence in Canandaigua, NY, which focuses on developing and testing clinical and public health intervention standards for suicide prevention.

New VA Research Center

A new VA Research center in Denver focuses on the clinical and neurobiological conditions that can lead to increased suicide risk.

 

Suicide Prevention

Suicide Prevention Lifeline is staffed by trained professionals 24 hours a day to help in an immediate crisis. After one year of operation, 62,000 veterans, family members, and friends of veterans have called the Lifeline. Of those there have been 1,400 rescues to prevent possible tragedies.

Click on the map below to locate a VA facility.

VHA provides a variety of psychiatric services at medical centers and outpatient clinics. Use the quick links to jump to a specific center to find out what service they focus on.

Services: Select Compensated Work Therapy MIRECC My Healthe Vet National Center for PTSD Vet centers Homelessness OEF/OIF Returning Veterans Substance Abuse Women Veterans

• Compensated Work Therapy
• MIRECC
• My Healthe Vet
• National Center for PTSD
• Vet centers
• Homelessness
• OEF/OIF Returning Veterans
• Substance Abuse
• Women Veterans