Tennessee Valley Healthcare System is launching a new video series called “We’ve Got Your 6” each Wednesday during the month of September to spread awareness and spark conversations about suicide prevention.
The four-part video series focuses on signs of suicide, how to help someone in distress, and resources for Veterans, their friends, and their families.
“We know suicide can be difficult or uncomfortable to talk about, so we wanted to find a way to provide ideas on how to start the conversation,” Dr. Vivian Justice, TVHS suicide prevention program coordinator, said. “We really want everyone to reach out to the Veteran in their life.”
The “We’ve Got Your 6” videos will be published on the TVHS Facebook page each Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
The Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro is located at 3400 Lebanon Rd, Murfreesboro, TN 37129.
Learn about PTSD HERE.
What are the signs that someone may be considering suicide?
Many Veterans don’t show any signs of an urge to harm themselves before doing so. But some may show signs of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, or hopelessness, like:
• Seeming sad, depressed, anxious, or agitated most of the time
• Sleeping either all the time or not much at all
• Not caring about what they look like or what happens to them
• Pulling away from friends, family, and society
• Losing interest in hobbies, work, school, or other things they used to care about
• Expressing feelings of excessive guilt or shame, failure, lack of purpose in life, or being trapped
They may also change the way they act, and start to:
• Perform poorly at work or school
• Act violently or take risks (like driving fast or running red lights)
• Do things to prepare for a suicide (like giving away special personal items, making a will, or seeking access to guns or pills)
• Get the full list of signs that someone may be considering suicide
Learn about common suicide myths and realities, Veteran-specific suicide risks, and warning signs.
• Recognize when to ask for help
• Take our Veterans self-check quiz
About the VA in Murfreesboro and Nashville
TVHS is an integrated tertiary health care system comprised of two hospitals, the Alvin C. York campus in Murfreesboro and the Nashville campus, as well as more than a dozen community-based outpatient clinics located in Tennessee and Kentucky. TVHS provides ambulatory care, primary care, and secondary care in acute medicine and surgery, specialized tertiary care, transplant services, spinal cord injury outpatient care, and a full range of extended care and mental health services.
