Military Suicide Awareness Training.

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Ignignoct

Ignignoct

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A suicidal person may exhibit behaviors that are clues to his/her state of mind. These clues are warning signs.

The acronym "IS PATH WARM" will help you remember the warning signs that indicate a person is reacting to stress and may be considering suicide:

* I deation: S/he expresses thoughts of suicide verbally or written, as outright threats or hints.
* S ubstance abuse: S/he increases or has excessive alcohol or drug use.
* P urposelessness: S/he sees no reason for living or has no sense of meaning or purpose in life.
* A nxiety: S/he feels anxious, agitated, unable to sleep, or sleeps excessively.
* T rapped: S/he feels like there is no way out.
* H opelessness: S/he feels hopeless about self, others, and/or the future.
* W ithdrawal: S/he withdraws from family, friends, usual activities, and/or society.
* A nger: S/he feels rage or uncontrolled anger, and seeks revenge for perceived wrongs.
* R ecklessness: S/he acts without regard for consequences, with excessively risky behavior, and/or seemingly without thinking.
* M ood Changes: S/he experiences dramatic changes in mood.

These behaviors should alert you to get involved with this person immediately!
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The love affair with acronyms and impractical advice like this is why I hate government-mandated training. Same thing for sexual-assault, alcohol abuse, and anger management.

You guys experience this crap in the commercial world too?

For the record, I was around my older bro when he attempted suicide twice, I walked in on my mom writing her suicide note before the attempt (bawling her eyes out), so I'm not unfamiliar with this subject, but the crap they shovel is so far detached from reality, and disgustingly SANITIZED.

If someone I know is suicidal, I'm not going to refer them to the command chaplain or anti-suicide pamphlet. I'm going talk with them, exhume the cause of their depression, and allow sunlight to disinfect it or offer comfort or a solution. If you're not religious, obviously "God's got a plan for you, brah!" isn't going to work.

What do you guys think?

...

I'm taking this way too srsly amirite???

EDIT: BONUS ROUND!

Here's one of the test questions at the end...

Q: Which is the suicide warning signs acronym?

A.) IS PATH WARM

B.) IS IT WARM

C.) IS PATH HOT

D.) FIND THE PATH
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HAH! Why the f*ck do we need to know the acronym when someone's about to die?!
 
F

Fairee

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I think it's good that they want people to look out for each other. But I doubt this is the right way to do it.

And no, the acronym is not something you need to know as someone's about to top themselves. it's trying to get you to remember the signs to look for that may indicate that someone is suicidal.
 
Bibliomancer

Bibliomancer

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Apr 17, 2009
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"Is Path Warm"? Why not "Wash Armpit", or "Wraith Maps", or "Math Ripsaw"? I mean, "Is Path Warm" doesn't make grammatical sense. It's like lolcats.
 
sky14kemea

sky14kemea

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Jun 26, 2008
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Bibliomancer said:
"Is Path Warm"? Why not "Wash Armpit", or "Wraith Maps", or "Math Ripsaw"? I mean, "Is Path Warm" doesn't make grammatical sense. It's like lolcats.
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i love the WASH ARMPIT one =D
 
Cpt_Oblivious

Cpt_Oblivious

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Jan 7, 2009
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When I see someone suffering from those symptoms I won't remember he acronym, I barely remember the first aid ones.

We just need to know the signs and be aware of others. If someone close to me felt suicidal I'd firstly be kicking myself for not noticing and helping earlier. Then I would do everything in my power to prevent it.

"I would have stayed up, with you all night had I known how to save a life" - How to Save a Life, The Fray


Edit:
Danzorz said:
Heres something to think about, my father fought two wars, how many people did he know that killed themselves? Take a guess.
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Too many.
 
Ignignoct

Ignignoct

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Danzorz said:
Heres something to think about, my father fought two wars, how many people did he know that killed themselves? Take a guess.
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My brother has PTSD from being the Combat Medic for a group of expeditionary Army Rangers in Iraq.

I bet your father knows at least 10-15.

For many, the person that goes to war isn't the one that comes back.
 
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Fairee

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Cpt_Oblivious said:
When I see someone suffering from those symptoms I won't remember he acronym, I barely remember the first aid ones.
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Then again, some of the first aid ones are stupid.

For example, on our course, the instructor had one for signs/symptoms of a broken bone that made something like SPLINT. Which one does our book use?

PLUS DICT. It would be funny if I was joking.

How the hell are you gonna remember that, ever? Least of all in a stressful first aid situation.
 
burninjack4l

burninjack4l

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Aug 15, 2008
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Most people have common sense enough to notice when their comrades, especially ones they spend every minute of every day with, have any thoughts of suicide ... In a minute to minute situation like that, it just comes out. And it's not just something that happens over night, it's a developmental chemical imbalance, and comes off strongly over time... In the situations our soldiers have been in recently, it's not a huge surprise it's happening in such high numbers... The main problem is, that most people that hear it, don't want to report them, whether it's out of worry that person would then face a lot more problems than the reporter would desire, and more commonly just don't take them seriously. People talk about a lot of things out there, some of them things you just wouldn't say back at home. Talk is talk, at least in most people's minds.
This acronym doesn't change anything, people aren't retarded, they can see the symptoms, we're all just a lot more likely to write it off as venting, rather than this serious of a problem. Especially when it's someone you depend on to cover your ass when you're deep in the s***.
 
slackbheep

slackbheep

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Sep 10, 2008
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I think you've got the right idea, but understand that not everyone is equipped to deal with these situations especially in such a high stress environment as the military. This training could very well make a difference in helping these people, even if it just causes people to really stop and think about whether or not a fellow may be considering suicide, or perhaps cause someone who is considering it to step forward.

That said seeing just this excerpt it seems as though the training may simply be a band-aid, to cover a problem and make it seem as though something is/can be done about it so easily.
 
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