Interactive DVD to Prevent Suicides

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Interactive DVD to Prevent Suicides
September 04, 2008
Army News Service|by Gary Sheftick

WASHINGTON - National Suicide Prevention Week, Sept. 7-13, will be an opportunity for the Army to roll out some new initiatives and training tools, said one of the Army 's leading psychiatrists.

"Unfortunately, the numbers of suicides in the Army continue to go up," said Col. Elspeth C. Ritchie, director of the Army Medical Department's Strategic Communications and formerly psychiatry consultant to the Army's surgeon general. She said the Army had a high of 115 suicides last year.

Ritchie said the Army's recent push on suicide awareness has awakened Soldiers to the potential problem, but added that many still don't know what to do about it. For instance, she said Soldiers might recognize depression over a romantic breakup as a risk factor for suicide, but might not be sure how to approach the Soldier in need.

This fall a new interactive DVD will allow Soldiers to practice how they would aid potential suicide victims, Ritchie said. The DVD features realistic video vignettes about two Soldiers with problems.

The video, or "virtual experience immersive learning simulation," also known as VEILS, follows the problems of the two Soldiers and their stories change based on input from the viewer.


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