How many times, when you were extremely anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, and suicidal, did you call your primary care physician after hours? Remember the recording, “If this is an emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room?”  You muster up the courage to go to the Emergency Room, only to endure a wait, perhaps for hours. You might conclude the wait is making you more stressed and leave (wrong choice) or you might wait to be seen by the ER staff. Is the ER staff competent to help?  Maybe not. If you are overwhelmed will you need a family member or a friend to help you negotiate the ER? Absolutely.

Emergency rooms are recognized as an important component of suicide prevention … if the ER is competently staffed. Studies indicate that on average 412,000 ER visits per year are related to intentional self-harm or suicide attempts. Thousands more go the ER seeking help for mental health concerns including increased anxiety, depression, and thoughts of suicide. Many visits to the ER are by folks who have not yet attempted suicide but are in a suicidal crisis and need an intervention to prevent an attempted suicide. Now for the rub.

For effective treatment to occur in the ER, the ER staff must detect, assess, and manage the suicide risk before suicidal individuals choose that most desperate and final act. In those situations in which suicidal people have made it to the emergency room, most of us believe they are safe and will be protected.  Not so! Most emergency room staff, including the doctors, are poorly trained – or not trained at all – in the detection, assessment, management, and treatment of suicidal persons.

Steps to Take to Get the Help You Need

A recent report in Academic Emergency Medicine, the official journal for the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, concludes “…suicide screening for adults in the [emergency department] (ED) is far from universal, which is concerning as many individuals at risk for suicidal behavior seek treatment in the ED.” The report states that many patients presenting with suicide risk factors were not screened for suicide. In a nutshell, a suicidal patient is going to need assistance from a friend or loved one in the ER to enhance the chances of the patient getting better help.

What can you do to get the help you need?

1. First understand that the ER may not be as good as we would like it in assessing and treating suicidal patients, but it is clearly the best choice when there is a suicidal crisis.  The likelihood is that if you, and your loved one or friend follows these steps, the ER, with your help, will make better decisions.
2. If you are suicidal, tell a family member or friend you are having suicidal thoughts and need help. Tell the family member or friend you would like them to take you to the emergency room. Trying to handle a suicide crisis without professional help is like flying a plane without a license.
3. After you arrive at the ER tell the first person working at the ER you see that you are suicidal and need help and now.
4. If you are a friend or family member helping the suicidal patient, make sure the ER staff knows your friend or loved one is suicidal and needs help now.
5. Make sure you see the intake person write in the records that the presenting patient is stating they are suicidal and needs help. If they don’t write it in the charts, ask them to do so. ER staff will have second thoughts on prematurely discharging a patient when the records state the patient is suicidal and thinking of killing themselves if not helped.
6. Make sure the intake nurse knows clearly the last time you thought about suicide and what it is you thought. If you thought about shooting yourself, say so. If overdosing, say so. If hanging yourself, say so. If you are helping the suicidal patient make sure you understand the answers to these questions and tell the intake nurse if the patient does not.
7. Understand that the point of this exercise is to get the protection you need. If protected and the underlying reasons for the suicidal thinking are properly treated with the correct counseling and medication, things WILL get better.
8. If the ER staff makes the suicidal patient wait in the ER, make sure you don’t let them leave the waiting room if possible. Don’t be afraid to speak out loud and clear if the suicidal patient is leaving. Silence or being embarrassed to speak out could be a deadly decision.  Remember you are with your spouse, child, or friend for a reason: getting them help & keeping them safe.
9. If the ER staff makes a decision to discharge the suicidal patient, ask the staff if they assessed the patient for suicide.
10. Ask the staff why they think the patient is safe?
11. Ask the staff if the patient can safely be left alone?  If the answer is no, ask why not?  Get the name of the ER staff member who says your loved one or friend is safe. Ask the staff member for a safety plan. Insist on the safety plan.
12. If you don’t get a safety plan ask to speak to the ER physician for an explanation of why no plan?
13. Ask the staff for the specific reason your loved one is not being admitted inpatient. If admitted they will likely only be in the hospital for 3-5 days … a small price in time to have many more years of life.
14. Listen to the reasons for not admitting inpatient. If you believe your loved one or friend is in danger for hurting themselves if not helped, tell the staff why you think that. Again, tell the staff to record in the patient’s records your concern.
15. Remember the squeaky wheel gets the oil.
16. Patients and their loved ones and friends can’t count on the ER to get it right.  You must make it clear, even to the untrained, that your loved one and friend need to be properly assessed and managed.

At the Law Offices of Skip Simpson, we understand how devastating it is to lose a family member or friend to suicide. If you lost a loved one, you will need a compassionate lawyer who works hard to hold mental health professionals accountable. Contact a Dallas attorney with a highly successful track record who represents clients nationally. Call 214-618-8222 or fill out our online contact form.

The link between bullying and suicidal thoughts among teenagers has long been established, with early medical journals dating back as far as 1910 addressing the impact of harassment or teasing behavior on suicidal ideation.

Now, a new study published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics takes a closer look at how bullying can affect young people in today’s world. The study confirmed that victims of all types of bullying had an increased risk of suicidal thoughts, but that new forms of bullying in a digital age have exacerbated the problem.

Understanding the risk factors for suicidal thoughts among teens is important as parents, family members and other caregivers can be more alert for potential signs of problems at times when the teen is at the greatest risk. When a professional is providing therapy or treatment to a teen who is the victim of cyber bullying or other denigrating behavior, it is essential that the teen has adequate support. A suicide attorney can help families affected by a death by suicide to take legal action against a mental health counselor or other party who failed to provide appropriate treatment and/or who failed to provide a correct diagnosis for a teen experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Risk Factors for Suicidal Thoughts Among Teens

Suicide is one of the leading causes of teen deaths worldwide, and between five and eight percent of teenagers in the U.S. attempt to die by suicide annually. Bullying is also common among young people. As many as one out of every five teens is involved in some type of bullying.

Researchers decided to take a closer look at how this widespread bullying is affecting rates of death by suicide. A total of 34 different studies on suicidal ideation and peer victimization were reviewed. In total, the studies provided data on 284,375 young people between the ages of nine and 21.

The researchers found that children who had experienced bullying were 2.23 times as likely to have suicidal thoughts as those children who had not been victimized by abusive or aggressive behavior. In situations where the children had both been a bully and been bullied by others, there was a slightly greater risk of suicidal thoughts. These children were 2.35 times as likely to consider death by suicide than young people who had not had any involvement with bullying at all.

The greatest risk-factor, however, was cyber-bullying, or bullying that takes place on the Internet. A young person who had been bullied via text message, via email or via an online video was 3.12 more likely to consider death by suicide than someone who had not been victimized.

There were many possible reasons why online cyber bulling is a bigger risk factor than traditional bullying. For one thing, material may be stored online and accessed repeatedly, resulting in the victim relieving the denigrating experience more frequently. Being bullied on the Internet could also cause a young person to feel as if he or she had been humiliated in front of a wider audience. The added risk factor existed across all age groups as well as for both boys and girls. Parents, teachers and mental health professionals should be aware of the risks and help to prevent teen bullying online and off.

A suicide attorney at the Law Offices of Skip Simpson can help. Call (214) 618-8222 to schedule a free case consultation.

Many people believe that the holiday season is a time when there is a higher rate of death by suicide.  The reality, however, is that this is largely an urban myth that is based on movies like It’s a Wonderful Life, which is based on a belief that people get more depressed around the holidays.

An experienced suicide attorney in Dallas knows that the time of the year has some impact on predicting whether someone is likely to die by suicide. However, a person’s own actions and behaviors are the biggest signs when someone is considering death by suicide. Thus, while it is important to know when the highest risk times are for fatalities caused by suicide, it is most important to know what red flags to watch out for at any time of the year.

The Highest Risks of Death by Suicide

Contrary to popular belief, the month of November and the month of December actually have the lowest suicide rates of any months of the year. Scientific American reports that the lower rates over the course of these two months can be partly explained by the fact that there is usually increased emotional and familial support available during holiday times as families and friends come together more often around this time of year. This feeling of goodwill and the benefits that can come from the added support during the holidays can result in a phenomenon called a “depressive calm” that lasts through the winter.

Once the holiday season is over, however, and the months of spring approach, the risk of suicide goes up significantly as the “depressive calm” gives way to an “energized despair.” As a result, the highest rate of deaths by suicide actually occurs during the springtime.

The phenomenon of higher suicide fatalities in spring was first observed in 1897 and has persisted through to this date. Data shows that getting more sunshine, a change to warmer temperatures, allergens and viruses, inflammation, extra vitamin D and melatonin can all jump-start an energized despair that can prompt suicidal thoughts. As Scientific America explains: “as winter thaws into spring, there is the hope for renewal that if not delivered can set into motion agitation and despair.”

Watching for Signs

Although the holidays may not be the highest-risk time, an average of 105 people die by suicide each day in the United States. This means that anyone could experience the loss of a family member at any time. Watching for warning signs and taking action to provide help can be the best way to reduce the chances of death by suicide. You can watch for the “energized despair” that could be experienced in early spring, and you can also watch for:

• A sense of perceived burdensomeness to family, friends and people considered significant.
• A feeling of thwarted belongingness.
• An acquired capability for self-harm.
• A preoccupation with death.
• A focus on tying up loose ends and getting affairs in order.
• Sudden calm after a period of agitation or depression.
• Withdrawing from friends, family or activities.
• Self-destructive behavior.
• Comments like “you would be better off without me, ”I just need to disappear,”  or I am so sorry for making your life miserable.”  These comments in conjunction with sadness and depression require further inquiry

Family members and mental health professionals should all be on the lookout for these indicators that someone is at risk of dying by suicide.  A very helpful book for detecting a suicidal family member and taking action to prevent suicide is The Suicide Lawyers: Exposing Lethal Secrets, by C.C. Risenhoover.  The author interviews Skip Simpson who has seen suicide from every angle.  It is an easy read and can prevent a loved one from an attempted suicide.

If you lost a loved one to suicide, contact a suicide attorney in Dallas at the Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call  214-618-8222.

An experienced suicide attorney in Dallas knows that there are many risk factors that can increase the chances a teen will die by suicide, including a history of depression, substance abuse, or an experience of being repeatedly bullied as a few examples.  Now, however, a new study indicates that teenagers who have family members in the military who are deployed multiple times also face an increased risk of death by suicide.

This information is important to ensure that those who counsel or care for teens with deployed family members are aware of the risk factors, can identify signs that a teen is considering suicide and can get a young person the help that he needs to manage his emotions.

Military Deployments Linked to Suicide in Teens

According to the Los Angeles Times, researchers analyzed survey data from 14,299 secondary school students in California. More than 1,900 of those students had either parents or siblings who were in the military. Based on this analysis, researchers identified a link between a family member’s deployment history and a variety of different mental health issues including suicidal thoughts.

The researcher’s published a study revealing their findings in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The survey was unique because the majority of existing research to-date about the mental health of military children has focused on kids who are either already in treatment or who are attending special summer camps for military children. This study took a different approach by adding questions onto a statewide survey of California public school students in 2011. The researchers added questions for students from four Southern California school districts located near military basis. Seventh, ninth and 11^th graders were all asked about the deployment history of their parents and their siblings as well as being asked about their mental states.

Based on the information that the study revealed, simply having a close relative in the military did not increase the chances that the young person would experience mental health issues or have thoughts of suicide. However, kids whose relatives had been deployed during the previous decade had a surprisingly high rate of mental health concerns. Just one deployment over the past 10 years raised the rate of students reporting extended periods of feeling sad or hopeless in the prior year from 29 percent among all students to 35 percent. Multiple deployments pushed this number even higher to 38 percent. When asked about symptoms of depression, there was also an increase. While 22 percent of all kids surveyed said they had experienced symptoms of depression in the prior month, 24 percent of military kids with family members who had been deployed said they were depressed. When asked specifically about suicidal thoughts, 18 percent of teens who had not had relatives deployed said yes, but 25 percent of teens with relatives who had multiple deployments answered that they had experienced these thoughts.

Knowing that military kids are more likely to face these struggles means that caregivers and mental health professionals should be especially vigilant for identifying signs that someone is having suicidal thoughts.

If you lost a loved one to suicide, contact a suicide attorney in Dallas at the Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call  214-618-8222.

According to a recent study conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland, a link might have been found between adolescents who show psychotic symptoms – particularly those with existing psychopathology – and an increased suicide risk.

At the Law Office of Skip Simpson, our experienced Dallas suicide attorneys understand that the link between treatable mental illness and suicide is well-known. With a strong clinical marker found that links together certain psychological symptoms suicidal thoughts and behaviors, it’s possible that mental health professionals can better serve their patients.

Psychotic Symptoms Found To Indicate Increased Suicidal Thoughts & Behaviors

According to Medscape, the study involved 1,112 school-based adolescents aged 13-16 years and investigated whether the co-occurrence of psychotic symptoms at the start of the study predicted an increase in suicide attempts at 3- and 12-month follow-ups.

What the study found was startling. Teens who reported acute psychotic symptoms had a “10- to 11-fold increased risk for attempted suicide” compared to counterparts who had no psychotic symptoms.

Furthermore, when these psychotic symptoms – hallucinations, delusions, disturbances in thought – are concurrent with existing psychopathologies such as depression and anxiety, the risk further increases. The study reports that adolescents with psychopathology who report psychotic symptoms had nearly a 70-fold increase in their odds of suicidal thoughts, behaviors, and attempts.

With depression and anxiety a major risk factor for suicide, researchers said its prevalence in the population is too high to identify it as a “meaningful group.” Because a much smaller percentage of the population suffering from acute psychotic symptoms and an even smaller percentage suffering from a full-blown psychotic disorder, researchers have suggested that these symptoms are an “under-recognized marker for risk of suicidal behavior.”

New Opportunities For Prevention

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death across the world. With that being said, researchers estimate that a staggering 50% of all patients who die by suicide have contact with a primary care provider within a month before their final attempt. This offers many opportunities for suicide prevention.

This important study illustrates that mental health professionals need to more carefully assess the presence of psychotic symptoms in their patients. When somebody shows signs of psychotic symptoms, they might be at risk to experience increased suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

As the study has shown, when this is the case, help cannot wait.

If you’ve lost a loved one due to suicide, contact the Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call today at (214) 618-8222 for a free case consultation.

Children, teenagers, and other adolescents can be at an especially high risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. When kids are at school, it’s the responsibility of school officials to detect warning signs of suicide in students and take preventative measures in the event of a crisis.

According to attorney Skip Simpson, an experienced suicide negligence lawyer, failure to do so could yield tragic results. As a recent Delaware Supreme Court ruling indicated, it can also result in a lawsuit against a school district.

Delaware Supreme Court: School District Might Be Negligent

As a Delaware Online news story recent reported, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that the grandparents of a 16-year-old who died by suicide in 2009 have sufficient grounds to sue their grandchild’s school district. The Superior Court initially dismissed the case.

In 2009, the 16-year-old boy had spoken with a school counselor about his suicidal thoughts and other problems he was having. Merely hours later, after coming home from school, the boy died by suicide.

His grandparents then filed a lawsuit against the school, saying not only that the school should have notified them about the boy’s crisis so that they could respond accordingly, but that the district failed to follow essential procedures that could have saved his life.

While the Supreme Court and Superior Court agreed that the school could not be held liable for something he did at home, the Supreme Court accepted the argument from the boy’s grandparents parents that the district, school, and counselor were negligent because there were specific rules on how to handle an adolescent in a crisis.

School District Suicide Protocol Designed To Help Students In Crisis

Often, school districts have particular protocols that they must follow if an adolescent shows signs of suicidal thoughts or behaviors. When a student shows these signs, it’s the moral and often legal obligation of teachers, counselors, and other school officials to address the situation immediately and follow necessary protocol.

In this instance, district protocol mandates that a school official must stay with the student, assess the situation, contact parents, get help, document the file and follow up – something the school might have failed to do.

At the Law Office of Skip Simpson, we understand that these safety protocols are designed to prevent adolescents in crisis from dying by suicide. Even the smallest steps taken by guidance counselors, teachers, and other school officials could go a long way in preventing a tragedy.

While it remains to be seen if the Superior Court, which is now hearing the trial again, will agree, this case should serve as a reminder to all school districts that when an adolescent shows suicidal thoughts or behaviors, the decisions they make immediately afterward can change lives forever.

If you’ve lost a loved one due to suicide, contact the Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call today at (214) 618-8222 for a free case consultation.

Teenagers often have to cope with hormonal issues, issues of bullying, and self-esteem problems that could cause them to consider suicide. For teens who are LGBT — lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual — they may be subject to additional bullying and concerns about their identity. Because of the added challenges they face, it may come as no surprise that one recent study shows that LGBT teens are at a greater risk of suicide than their heterosexual peers.

Suicide malpractice lawyer Skip Simpson is concerned that these young people are often in situations where they feel suicide is the only way out. He believes it is important to recognize the challenges that LGBT teens face and urges mental health professionals and care providers to be aware of the high risk of suicide and take any necessary steps to prevent their teenage patients from harming themselves.

LGBT Teens at Greater Risk of Suicide

According to the Independent Record, teenagers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered in middle school or in high school are often subject to verbal harassment; physical harassment and assault. Six of ten LGBT students who participated in a CDC survey reported that they felt unsafe in school and eight in ten had been subject to some type of harassment. In Texas in early March, one of many examples of such bullying was reported. The Huffington Post indicated that a Texas lesbian was beaten unconscious on a playground after defending a bullied child. The man who attacked her shouted anti-gay slurs.

With incidents like these, it should come as no surprise that teens who identify as LGBT are at greater risk of suicide than their peers. In addition to dealing with bullying, they may also be concerned that their identity makes them outsiders and may fear losing the approval of their families or social communities. This can exacerbate suicidal tendencies and is just another factor that makes a difference in explaining the higher suicide rates among LGBT teens.

The difference in suicide rates is striking, with the Independent Record reporting that a national study of adolescents had revealed that LGBT teens were more than twice as likely as their heterosexual peers to have tried to kill themselves. In Montana, where there are a high number of suicides throughout the state, the data also indicates that 15 percent of young people who reported suicide attempts also reported that they had been involved in a same-sex relationship or felt attractions to members of their own sex.

A licensed mental health counselor who is executive director of an outreach program targeted toward LGBT teens and college students indicated that most of his teen and young adult clients had considered suicide. According to his statement to the Independent Record, the counselor believes that the thoughts of suicide may be driven by concern that they cannot have a good life and that getting through high school seems insurmountable.

As long as discrimination and bullying continue, the sad fact is that LGBT teens may continue to be plagued by these thoughts. It is very important for all healthcare providers to be aware of the increased risk of suicide faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender teens and to take appropriate steps to get them the help they need.

If you lost a loved  one to suicide, contact the Dallas Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call  214-618-8222.

Suicide is a problem throughout the United States and is the tenth leading cause of death for Americans. Ultimately, therapists and mental health professionals – when properly trained – are in the best position to stop someone from dying by suicide provided they do their jobs well. However, not everyone is able to get the help they need, and often signs of suicide go unrecognized by peers, parents, loved ones and therapists. A book which helps everyday people to be gatekeepers and protect their loved ones and co-workers is “The Suicide Lawyers: Exposing Lethal Secrets” authored by C.C. Risenhoover. The author interviews Suicide Lawyer Skip Simpson to get his insights on how family members can assist loved ones at risk for suicide.

Some states, however, are making an effort to publicize the signs of suicide and to ensure that people do get the help they need. This year in Utah, for example, KSL reports that a suicide prevention bill is being considered by legislatures. Suicide lawyer Skip Simpson will be watching Utah lawmakers to see if the bill is passed and to see what impact the legislation has on curbing suicide among youth.

The Suicide Prevention Bill

Utah’s proposed suicide prevention bill is being considered along with anti-bullying bills in this year’s legislative session. The anti-bullying bills will supplement the state’s 4-year-old bullying law and are also aimed, in part, at curbing suicide since bullying is a top reason for young people to wish to end their lives.

The suicide prevention bill, however, has a very specific goal. The goal is to expand the Hope Squad program that one school district has tried and to require all schools within the state to implement some of the things that Hope Squad has been doing.

The focus of Hope Squad is to bring parents, peers and students together to teach them about the signs of suicide and to teach them how to respond to suicide. The suicide prevention bill, therefore, would encourage all school districts to come together with parents and students to help prevent suicides through education and support.

Some of the different steps that will be taken may include providing suicide awareness of information, conducting parent seminars, strengthening resources on bullying and improving communication between schools and parents.

Suicide is a major problem in the state of Utah, with two youths and three young adults treated for attempting suicide every single day. Utah also has the 17th highest suicide rate in the country, and suicide is the second leading cause of death both for young adults and adults. The state’s efforts to increase education and to help schools, students and parents fight against this suicide epidemic will hopefully be successful in curbing this silent epidemic.

Can a Suicide prevention Bill Help Lower the Risk of Suicide?

If Utah’s bill passes, it will be important to observe the effects of the bill on the suicide rate. Ultimately, the bill will hopefully be successful provided that parents, schools and students really do recognize the signs of suicide early and provided that people are able to get the help they need. Of course, mental health professionals will also need to be equipped to provide appropriate treatment for those who are considering suicide, since parents and schools alone cannot stop someone who wants to end his or her life. Proper mental health treatment is ultimately the best and only answer to preventing suicide on a long-term basis.

In January of 2013, 26-year-old Aaron Swartz took his own life. His death made headlines because he was a well-known Internet entrepreneur associated with developing the RSS language and with a company that became Reddit. According to CNN, his death is also sparking a combination about the risks of suicide among entrepreneurs.

Our Dallas suicide attorneys know that anyone suffering from a psychiatric illness is potentially at risk of taking their own life, regardless of how famous or successful they seem to be. When a person is depressed or feels out-of-control, they may look to suicide as an answer to their problems. Since business owners often face a lot of stress and pressure, it makes sense that they may be vulnerable to taking their own lives.

Suicide Risks Among Entrepreneurs

Following Swartz’s death, CNN has started a discussion with some other tech experts and business owners. According to their article, the CEO of the Cheezburger websites wrote publicly about being depressed when his first start-up company failed.  In addition, in 2011, a co-founder of a social networking site took his own life, reportedly due to his ongoing struggles with depression coupled with the pressures of building his company.

Swartz himself had admitted publicly that he struggled with depression and had written about it in the past. His suicide may also have been prompted by the fact that he was facing criminal charges for illegally downloading materials using the MIT network. However, even without this catalyst, it is possible he would have lost the battle with his ongoing depression and taken his own life if not properly treated and protected by competent mental health clinicians.

When a person is struggling with depression, he or she needs to get help from qualified professionals to learn how to manage their emotions. In many cases, proper behavioral or talk therapy are viable options for those considering suicide. If the depression is chemical, as it so often is, a counselor may prescribe drug therapy to help fight the bad feelings. Regardless of how treatment is administered, those with severe depression or who are thinking suicidal thoughts will need to get help and the counselors need to respond appropriately to their state of mind.

Mr. Skip Simpson and his professional colleagues, all nationally prominent suicidologists, are striving to train and equip clinicians to improve their competency in assessing suicide. Unfortunately, as CNN discussed in their article on the death of Aaron Swartz, many entrepreneurs and business owners do not feel comfortable admitting they are depressed or opening up about their problems. They may be concerned about the reactions of their employees, customers or investors and may not want to make themselves vulnerable by speaking out.

This feeling that they have to maintain a stoic exterior or that they cannot talk about their depression can make things even worse. This is unfortunate as it can lead to social withdrawal, make one feel like he or she is a burden to coworkers and loved ones, and increase the risk of an attempted suicide.

Tragically, if a person won’t get help, then that individual is more likely to attempt suicide. As the CNN article writes, however, the death of Aaron Swartz is sparking important conversations about the suicide problems among entrepreneurs. These conversations may be a good step in making it possible for all depressed people to get the help they need. A good first step is to obtain “The Suicide Lawyers: Exposing Lethal Secrets” by C.C. Risenhoover. In this book Mr. Risenhoover interviews Skip Simpson on what family members and co-workers can do to protect their loved ones and friends.

If you lost a loved  one to suicide, contact the Dallas Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call  214-618-8222.

New data released from the Pentagon indicates that in 2012,  there have been more active-duty soldier deaths attributable to suicide than combat.

Texas suicide lawyer Skip Simpson praises Defense Secretary Leon Panetta for putting his finger on one of the main problems of military suicides.

Last month, Panetta said military leaders need to be held accountable for prevention. He said suicide has become an epidemic in the military, with an average of one soldier a day committing suicide – about 33 each month. To raise awareness, he ordered the military to “stand down” for a single day.

These are men and women who put their lives on the line every day for us. We – and specifically the military leadership – have a duty to protect them from harming themselves, as they cope with the tribulations of returning home after living through the horror of war.

Service data indicates that Army soldiers in particular are struggling. The suicide rate among Army soldiers has tripled since 2004, with about 10 for every 100,000 a month in that year to nearly 30 for every 100,000 this year. In July, a record 38 Army soldiers committed suicide.

These figures don’t include the number of retired veterans, who reportedly commit suicide on an average of 18 per day.

Panetta was quoted by various media as saying that leaders must be sensitive to the issue and aware of the warning signs – and they have to be aggressive in addressing it. Seeking help, he said, must be viewed as a sign of courage, not weakness.

Unfortunately, this has not always been the case. Newsweek recently profiled a number of soldiers who had either committed or attempted suicide. One of the latter says that as he sat in the hospital after purposely crashing his motorcycle on the freeway, his father begged him to get help. When he went to his superior, he was told he could be sent to the on-base mental health unit, but that his career might be negatively affected. He was waiting on a promotion to commander, and told that seeking help could put his chances of that position at risk. He declined to get help.

Likely the superior who advised his subordinate not to go to the mental health unit was genuinely trying to help his subordinate by relying on his own experiences with the military. Until recently, going to a mental health clinic spelled the end to a military career. Often, security clearances were pulled, which was the kiss of death.

Until Panetta’s directives to the military leadership become operational and are religiously followed, military suicides will continue at the same alarming rates, Skip Simpson says. VA hospitals and clinics have received Panetta’s message loud and clear and are clearly superior in suicide prevention compared to civilian hospitals and clinics.

As a Texas suicide lawyer, Skip Simpson knows this is not how it should be, and it’s a positive step that the military is beginning to recognize this. But there is still a long way to go.

Part of prevention is recognizing the warning signs. Some of those include:

Sudden behavior or mood changes;

Writing or talking about death or ways to die;

Displaying risky or reckless behaviors;

Expressing hopelessness about the future;

Giving away valuables;

Making arrangements for pets or children;

Spending money erratically;

Withdrawing from others;

Preparing a will;

Sleeping or eating disturbances;

Increased drug or alcohol use;

Displaying rage, anger or a desire for revenge.

If you lost a loved one to suicide, contact the Dallas Law Offices of Skip Simpson, dedicated to holding mental health counselors accountable. Call 214-618-8222.