Farmer told the Journal-News the veteran suicide rate is higher because veterans are generally adverse to admitting they need help.
“Veterans, particularly the Marine Corps branch — but we know it happens in the other five branches as well — they teach you all through basic you don’t reach out for help, you don’t go to sick call,” Farmer said. “The Marine Corps has a saying that pain is weakness leaving the body, which kind of infers it’s normal to have pain and you suck it up, you embrace the suck and you keep going.”
If someone is in crisis they can call the federal veterans 988 crisis line to get help or the Butler County crisis hotline which is 844-427-4747, “we can link them to the resources, it’s about trying to freeze time in the moments of crisis to have them call a crisis line or get that resource.”
Farmer said they prefer vets call the local line because the county has a mobile crisis unit staffed with local law enforcement and mental health workers who can respond immediately and follow-up in a timely manner later.
“What we’re trying to get communicated is there are so many resources out there,” Farmer said. “We know suicide often happens in the most critical minutes of a crisis but if we can get them to call a crisis line, whether that’s 988 or the Butler County crisis line managed by Beckett Springs, we know that we can take those critical minutes and potentially turn that individual to a resource that can help.”
Farmer said it is not just the veterans themselves who can call the help lines, family and friends can also seek help through that resource for their loved ones. Farmer said they can’t get statistics specific to Butler County from the federal 988 crisis line but there have been 2,229 calls from the 513 area code this year and people have been referred to either the Cincinnati or Dayton VA for help. There have been 2,120 calls to the countywide line but only 39 were by veterans.
“The VA has great mental health services, if you don’t want Cincinnati we can transfer you to Dayton,” he said. “If you don’t want the VA at all I have hundreds of pages of mental health providers, some of them specialize in post traumatic stress, some are substance abuse disorder, so we can link them to the resources they need.”
Martin Schneider, the Butler County Coroner’s Office administrator, said at the request of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs they started extrapolating veterans suicide statistics a couple years ago. Last year eight of 57 total suicides were by veterans and eight of 64 the previous year.
The vet board has a committee dedicated to suicide prevention that started out with two or three people and has grown to around a dozen people working to help at-risk veterans.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Scott Rasmus, executive director of the Butler County Mental Health and addiction Recovery Services Board, listed veterans as one of the board’s priority populations when seeking new levy funds in the November election. Since they won approval of a new $6.6 million levy they are planning to hire a new suicide specialist who will handle a myriad of tasks.
He said higher suicide rates generally around the holidays are understandable and that’s why the crisis hotline is crucial.
“To have a safe place for veterans and others that are risk especially around the holidays, it may not be the appropriate culture to share negative feelings at a happy time,” Rasmus said. “It may be hard for family members. friends and supporters to listen to traumatic stories veterans and others have and that’s why hot lines are so very important.”
Signs someone needs help
- Hopelessness, feeling like there’s no way out
- Anxiety, agitation, sleeplessness and mood swings
- Feeling rage or anger
- Engaging in risky activities
- Increased alcohol or drug abuse
- Withdrawing from family and friends
Butler County crisis hotline can be reached at 844-427-4747
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