Fifty five KERCD talk station, trying to make it a happy Wednesday. It is happy because it's listener to lunch Wednesday. Were going to be at Weedaman Brewery in Saint Bernard if you can make that, but tempered happiness because we need to talk about suicide Awareness month. September is suicide Awareness Month. And joining me in studio Lisa Listen. She is the suicide Prevention coordinator for the since ANYVA And on the phone, I guess stuck in traffic, Steve Belso,
executive director at Clairemont County Veteran Services. Steve, can you hear me?
I can, Bryan, good morning to you, Good.
Morning, wish you were here, and I'm sorry you're stuck in traffic, but we will manage to muddle through. Let's start with you, Steve. You spent three years on active duty. How is it different for a veteran compared to active duty? And one of the things we always point out when we're talking about suicide awareness, the veteran community is different
from the general population. I think a lot of it, and you correct me if I'm wrong, because I didn't serve, but from what I've learned over the years, it's you have that camaraderie, you have that built in team that you're working with. You're you're with them in the trenches, you're with them day in and day out, you're with them doing task. It's a very controlled environment. And to leave that and to go out here in the world, where you know, think life is different, that in and
of itself can be extraordinarily stressful. Mike, am I even close on that.
No, you're you're absolutely right. Let me give your listeners one correction, not three years, but almost three decades.
Decades, decades. I got notes in front of me, Stee. I apologize, Steve, I know that three decades and.
It's been three at one point.
Yes, that's great. You had three years, and then three years, three years, and then twenty seven plus more after that. I'm sorry, but you know what it's like. You know what my.
Shoes on so I can count. So let's yes, let's let's talk about that. That veteran while on active duty, amongst his his brothers and sisters, there is an intrinsic relationship again to localized family. You have leadership above, you have brothers and sisters to your left and right. There is constant observant of one another, a recognition of attitude, ways to call one another to task. Hey you're not acting the same.
Are you?
Okay? Right? There's ways to amplify help by taking it up the chain of command. When when Johnny or Sally's not acting the same, what was occurring? You know, we went from twenty two a day for years a veteran suicide, and we're down to somewhere and list it will correct me with exact but somewhere around seventeen and a half nows we've made some progress. But the unique thing is
on active duty, eyes are always on one another. It's when we leave that unit and come back home, no one's looking left and right, no one's looking out for John or Janey, and it's easy for them to regress back into a corner to become this stoic I guess presence dealing with the monster of whatever the stressor was, that's building inside of the individual, that's taking over the
desire to live. And so it's so important that we are constantly talking about this though it's a drab subject, we have to talk about this that we get veterans to help that they need sooner rather than later.
Well, and there's a proactive role family can take in substituting for the team that isn't there anymore that would recognize these things. But this also forces the veteran who's struggling with this to have to be proactive on their own behalf, to seek out the help that they might need. And quite often I get the impression they're not quite
sure where to turn. But they're also you know, strong, you know, humble, proud people who may reject the idea of getting any assistance to start with, sure, you know.
And we have to get rid of the tagline that even thoughts of suicide is a weakness, and there's the vibrado of military members to tell me I'm weak. Is a is an attack against my armor. Suicide is against the very design of nature and society that we see. You cut down a tree, it wants to grow back. You cut off a branch. Anyone wants to come out. The animal wants to live. That's why I say escaping It is intrinsic and even society that people want to live.
And when the monster inside is growing stronger than your desire to live, it's it's a medical issue going on. There's something that's not connecting well, that person needs to find that release.
All right, let's pause for a moment. We'll bring back Steve Bellsough and of course we'll hear from Lisa Liston, who is the suicide prevention coordinator, gets some ideas about how we can help and what we can do and what to look for like by way of warning signs, et cetera. Seven fifty one if you have KCD talk station. September is Suicidal Awareness Month, and that's why we're talking with Steve Bell's, executive director of Clima County Veteran Services.
But we're going to pivot over to Lisa Liston, who is the suicide prevention coordinator with the cincinnt VA. Lisa, it's a pleasure to have you in studio here today. I'm glad you're able to make it suicide prevention coordinator. Let me go directly to the point. How is the Cincinnativa involved in helping to prevent veteran suicide? I mean identifying it's an issue we talked about with Steve a little bit about that, But how do you get in prevention.
Well, there's a couple of things to realize, and that is yes, suicide can be a very glum topic to discuss. However, what doesn't get discussed is how we can prevent suicide and all of the people who actually recover from suicidal thoughts, you can recover from it. There are many things that can be done, and the things that we do at the VA to prevent suicide would be we give out free gunlocks to veterans and families and organizations that would
like to distribute them. So we want to make sure that every person who owns a firearms securely manages those firearms because what you have to remember in a time of crisis, when a person is suicidal is when they might be very impulsive.
Impulsive, that's the reason, yes.
Right there, and it's too easy to just pick that weapon up and hold it to their head. So we want to make sure that they're safely stored stored as well as medications. Sometimes people forget about that. We want to store medications safely or if they're not being used, to get rid of them, because again, it would be too easy to pick up a bottle of pills and take it in a time of crisis.
Okay, time of crisis, now, that's what we need to know about what are the warning signs of suicide, because you know, we might not be thinking that we need to lock up the meds or lock up the firearm, but what are we looking for in terms of signs.
So you really want to be noticing when somebody starts focusing on death, dying, suicide. They might be writing letters. They might be I see this in teenagers.
Giving their personal property, giving.
Things away, sending long text about how they're not going to be there. This is an interesting one holding unloaded gun to their head. Because what you have to know is sometimes people participate in what's called habituation, and habituation is practicing for the event. So they will sometimes like
the Golden Gate Bridge people. They have them on video where they will walk to the edge of the bridge kind of look over, and then walk away, and then come back a little bit later, and now they've looking up over, pushing themselves up over the edge. Then may walk away again, but then the next time, now they've got their leg up over the bridge and ready to jump. So it's getting used to the thought of actually ending
your life. So when even when you hear somebody say, oh, well, I really wasn't going to do it, but they had that gun to their head. First of all, we know many people die with supposed unloaded guns. But secondly, they could be practicing habituation.
All right, So what what do you do or say to a veteran if they say they actually are having thoughts of suicide suicidal ideation, they just outright want to kill themselves, right.
So the first thing you want to do is not become so alarmed that you scare the person, like, oh my gosh, let's call somebody right now, we're going to you know, well, you got to have the police out here. What you want to do is offer support and assistance. So if it's safe, you could offer, hey, how about you and I both go to the er where you can t talk to a licensed physician or clinician who can help you with those suicidal thoughts. Or you might say, hey,
how about if I call the veteran's crisis line. I'll tell them what's going on, and then the responder will talk to the veteran and can help them that way, also encouraging them to get treatment. You know, not everybody. I'd like to dispel this myth, and that is not everyone who has suicidal thoughts automatically gets admitted to the hospital. Sometimes we can start them on medication, or we can get them into therapy and they'll be okay and we'll
work with them. Now. Sometimes it's even more severe where they really can't keep themselves safe and so we might have to have them admitted. But there's several options that are available.
Well, I would think, and you know you're the expert, but I would think if someone actually tells you out loud that they're having these thoughts, that might be a cry for help. They are wanting to get that assistance. They're saying it out loud. They're not trying to catch somebody off guard, like, Okay, have fun at the movie and they come back home and they have committed suicide and they say it out loud, and maybe that they're looking for your help and finding help, right.
And you know, sometime times people get caught up into well, you know, do they mean it, do they not mean it? Are they just saying this because they want attention? And I always say, you don't have to make yourself the evaluator. We just want you to get them to a place someone who is a licensed that could help them and figure out what really is going on, So calling the Veterans Crisis Line, which you know is the nine eight eight Press one.
That's what I was just gonna ask you today. Yeah.
Yeah, it's really excellent because you don't have to make a decision is this serious? Is this not serious? Or maybe they're kind of vague, you're not really sure. Again, you don't have to be the evaluator. Just get them to someone who can talk to them, who will know what to do.
Nine eight eight, Then hit one after the phone picks up and you're right there with the Veterans Crisis Line. Well, I tell you what, I can't thank you enough for Lisa for what you're doing every day to help veterans dealing with suicidal ideation families as well. And Steve, of course, you know you're always welcome on the Morning show with the Claimont Kennedy Vetteran and Services Commission. All the services
you offer, it's an amazing thing. What you've got in Claremont County with the Claremont County Veteran Services it's uh, can you give me the website again, Steve for we part company for the Clamart County Veteran Services.
Yeah. Absolutely, Brian it's www. Claremont County Veterans.
Dot com Claremont County Veterans dot com for all the services they offer, and it is an amazing assortment of services. Veterans. You're in all this assistance. Please take advantage of it and help yourself out and family members. It's nine eight eight and then the number one for the Veterans Crisis Line. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open. You may save a life. Absolutely, it's been a pleasure having you both on. Keep up the great work on behalf of
the American Veterans. And Steve, thanks again for your three decades plus of active duty service. We'll see each other. Get real suit, Steve ca thank you, sir. Stick around Helen County, plot prosecute a list of powers after the top of the hour, News plus Judge to Paultono at eight thirty. I'll be right back.