The Correlation between PTSD and High Risk for Suicide Among Veterans

In the United States there are over 36,000 deaths from suicide each year, making Suicide the 10^th leading cause of death in America today. Among those completed suicides U.S. Veterans account for 20% percent or 1 in every 5 suicides. One of the main differences between a Veteran and Civilian is exposure to violent and traumatizing events.  Approximately 1/3 of OIF/OEF Veterans accessed mental health services in their first year post-deployment, many suffering from the effects of PTSD. This lecture will cover assessment of suicide risk, symptoms of PTSD and interventions that can be utilized with this high risk population of U.S. Veterans.

 

Objectives:

By participating in this training you will learn:

The scope of the problem of suicide.

Suicide risk for the Veteran population

PTSD and TBI implications for Suicide Risk

Profile of a high risk patients

Some of the signs and symptoms of suicidal thinking

How to identify a persons who may be at risk

Some of the signs and symptoms of suicidal thinking

Safety Plans and Interventions  

The cost of this workshop is $25 and 2.5 CEUs will be provided. A light breakfast will also be provided.

 

 

About the presenter:

Mariann Blacconiere, LCSW, comes from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital outside Chicago Illinois. She is nationally recognized in the field of suicide prevention.. Ms. Blacconiere has more than 20 years of clinical experience with severely mentally ill adults and children, including 15 years working in inpatient at the Veterans Hospital on the intensive psychiatric care floor. She is one of the original Suicide Prevention Coordinators and has been with the program since June 2007. Ms. Blacconiere also serves as the Lead Suicide Prevention coordinator for VISN 12 and serves as the facility's Coordinator and Master Trainer for the Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior, Chair of the Violence in the Workplace Committee, and Clinical lead for the Employee Threat Assessment Team   She was recently published in the National Association of Social Workers magazine for her work entitled “War is Hell; The Risk of Self Injury,” a study of veterans who struggle with PTSD and suicide. She also authored a workbook entitled “Gone Forever with No Goodbye," which serves as a tool for children who are survivors of suicide.

 

About MHEP:

The Mental Health Empowerment Project (MHEP) is a program offered by Mental Health America of Illinois and is a series of educational presentations/trainings throughout the Chicagoland area. Presentation topics range from addictions to smoking cessation, bullying to social emotional literacy, and other current mental health topics. The goal of MHEP is to provide mental health providers with the most up-to-date information and tools to successfully treat their clients, as well as to empower consumers to live successful and productive lives.

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