MoWest hosts first military suicide prevention training day

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Missouri Western State University hosted its first military suicide prevention training day to strengthen participants’ ability to identify risk factors and respond appropriately. 

The training was tailored for three groups: counselors, law enforcement officers and MoWest faculty and staff.  

Clinical Psychologist Christina Menager said her goal is to educate therapists, counselors, social workers and psychologists about the military and other service members, as well as their mental health and suicide prevention needs.  

Menager said veterans are present in every community and that it is essential for mental health professionals to understand how to effectively work with this group.  

“Its a public health issue. It affects everyone in this country. It is the second leading cause of death amongst individuals from 18 to 44 (years old),” Menager said.  

She also said suicide rates among veterans are approximately 1.6 times higher than those in the civilian population, underscoring why suicide prevention should be a concern for everyone.  

During the presentation, Menager emphasized that addressing suicide requires empowering all members of the community with the knowledge and skills to respond when they encounter someone experiencing a suicidal crisis.  

“The vast majority of people who die by suicide will never come for mental health treatment or diagnosis and that means you, the everyday person, are really the frontline,” Menager added.  

She noted that before the early 2000s, suicide rates among veterans and service members were lower than those of the civilian population.  

However, beginning in 2001, those rates began to rise and have since surpassed civilian suicide rates.  

“It hasn’t been increasing perfectly. It's been going kind of up and down, but yes, we have some rate increases,” Menager said.  

Menager said the key challenge is understanding what is driving these rising rates, particularly because suicide data is correlational, making it difficult to determine direct causes.  

She added that multiple factors may contribute, including fewer social safety nets, homelessness, financial and relationship stress, strain at home, and substance abuse.  

“Common myth people have is if someone decided to end their life, they are going to do it. That’s actually not true because when someone decides to end their life quarter of people act in five minutes, half of people act in 20 mins and three-quarters act in 1 hour,” Menager said.  

Director of Military and Veterans Services at MoWest, Gabrielle Falletta, said the presentation was one of the office’s major events of the semester. 

Falletta said she is passionate about bringing attention to the issue and believes events like this are among the most effective ways to raise awareness  

“Generally, what I have seen on campus is that not many faculty, staff or students have come in contact with veterans to be well-versed on the warning signs, so our goals today is to give a baseline knowledge so they can intervene,” Falletta said.  

Falletta said her hope is for attendees to leave with a greater understanding of how common military suicide is and what steps individuals can take to help prevent it.