Combat the Silence
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Leading the charge against military suicide and confronting the barriers of mental health
Blue Star Families is proud to introduce the groundbreaking "Combat the Silence" campaign, which aims to combat the alarming rates of suicide within the military community.
The Combat the Silence campaign aims to not only bring awareness to suicide prevention resources but also to bridge the gap between recognition and intervention within the military-connected community.
In Crisis? Call or text 988 (press 1 for Veteran Crisis Line) or chat 988lifeline.org.
Watch our PSA Videos
Combat the Silence PSA, Battle Buddy
Combat the Silence PSA, Couples Therapy
Combat the Silence PSA, A Mother's Grief
Find more information about Combat the Silence below:
a safe place to talk about hard things
Join us in the Blue Star Neighborhood! We're discussing important topics around military suicide prevention and mental health.
WHAT ARE BLUE STAR SUPPORT CIRCLES: UPSTREAM SOLUTION TO CRISIS?
- Blue Star Support Circles are facilitated, non-clinical cohorts for Veteran and service member supporters. We understand that family members and friends are best positioned to identify and support a Veteran or service member heading toward crisis.
- This cohort-based pilot program provides peer-based connection, evidence-based training, resources, and referrals to empower them to support their Veteran or service member.
- Participants will attend 8-weeks of virtual courses where they will work with mental health experts and learn to recognize early signs of a crisis and safe ways to intervene.
- In addition, participants will:
- Connect with peers in a virtual “Neighborhood”
- Get plugged in with partner organizations for additional support
- Create Crisis Response Plans
- Learn about secure firearm storage and other lethal means of safety
- Adopt and incorporate self-care practices into daily life/habits
- In addition, participants will:
- How Blue Star Support Circles got started:
- Recently, the Department of Veterans Affairs launched a groundbreaking initiative known as the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP) to officially recognize the need to include families and support systems as a part of the solution to the growing Veteran and service member suicide problem.
- It's an honor for Blue Star Families to be one of the organizations selected to create a suicide prevention program with the SSG Fox Grant. Blue Star Support Circles: Upstream Solution to Crisis, aims to be part of the solution to prevent suicide for Veterans and service members.
Need Support now? If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 (press 1 for Veteran Crisis Line) or chat 988lifeline.org.
I’M INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING:
Need Support now? If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 (press 1 for Veteran Crisis Line) or chat 988lifeline.org.
SUICIDE AND CRISIS PREVENTION LINE:
- What is the Suicide and Crisis Prevention Line?
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- 988 offers 24/7 access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing mental health-related distress, including
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- Thoughts of suicide
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- Mental health or substance use crisis, or
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- Any other kind of emotional distress
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- 988 serves as a universal entry point so that no matter where you live in the United States, you can reach a trained crisis counselor who can help.
- What do I need to do to connect with the Crisis Prevention Line?
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- People can call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for themselves or if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.
- How can I access the Veterans Crisis Line?
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- Call 988, then press 1 for the Veteran Crisis Line
Need Support now? If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 (press 1 for Veteran Crisis Line) or chat 988lifeline.org.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
- What is Combat the Silence?
- This is Blue Star Families’s awareness campaign to lead the charge against military suicide and confront the barriers to mental health. Our campaign aims to raise awareness to suicide prevention resources, bridge the gap between recognition and intervention, reduce the stigma around talking about mental health, and to empower military and veteran supporters to intervene before a crisis occurs.
- Why use Public Service Announcements (PSAs)?
- These powerful videos transport the viewer into the turbulent inner world of those battling mental illness in the military community and the critical role of intervention. Visually showing this aims to destigmatize mental health challenges in our community.
- Who created the PSAs?
- Blue Star Families selected Gig Line Media, founded by Emmy-winning producer, Air Force Veteran, and combat cameraman Mark Harper to produce the PSAs. Mark is also a military mental health advocate, having tragically lost a fellow airman from his unit to suicide.
- Mark selected Robert Ham, a four-time Emmy-winning producer, director, and three-time Department of Defense Military Videographer of the Year recipient, to direct the PSAs and ensure each piece authentically represents the delicate topic of mental health in the military community.
- How can I get involved with Combat the Silence?
- If you would like to get involved in helping spread the campaign, please contact our Peer Support team.
- If you would like to get involved in helping spread the campaign, please contact our Peer Support team.
Need Support now? If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 (press 1 for Veteran Crisis Line) or chat 988lifeline.org.
SSG FOX SUICIDE PREVENTION GRANT PROGRAM:
- The Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP) enables the VA to provide resources toward community-based suicide prevention efforts to meet the needs of Veterans, service members, and their families through outreach, suicide prevention services, and connection to VA and community resources.
- In alignment with VA’s National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide (2018), this grant program assists in further implementing a public health approach that blends community-based prevention with evidence-based clinical strategies through community efforts.
- The grant program is part of the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019, signed into law on October 17, 2020. Click the Hannon Act Fact Sheet to learn more.
Need Support now? If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 (press 1 for Veteran Crisis Line) or chat 988lifeline.org.
OTHER RESOURCES:
At Blue Star Families, we know the importance of community and a strong network of support. So we knew we needed the help of partners, who are experts in their fields, to help make Blue Star Support Circles the most effective program possible. Learn more about how they’re making a difference for the military and Veteran communities below.
Need Support now? If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 (press 1 for Veteran Crisis Line) or chat 988lifeline.org.