SENATOR COLLINS QUESTIONS TOP MILITARY OFFICIALS ON PREVENTING MILITARY SUICIDES

U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned top military officials about efforts to prevent military suicides and providing care for the less visible wounds of war. Those testifying before the Committee included Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army Vice Chief of Staff; Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert Vice Chief of Naval Operations; Gen. James F. Amos, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps; and Gen. Carrol H. Chandler, Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

Sen. Collins noted that she has met during the past year with retired members of the military, returning members of the National Guard, as well as health care professionals to discuss the mental health needs of our troops and the troubling rise in suicides. She said that all expressed concerns about insufficient recovery time between deployments, and that they believed this could be a contributing factor to mental health problems.

Senator Collins also raised the issue of access to mental health services for service members living in rural communities, particularly National Guardsmen and women and reservists.

"A related problem, at least in a rural state like mine, is an absence of mental health professionals in those rural communities," said Senator Collins. "Even though the VA or the National Guard will provide the assistance, it's often many hours away and that's a problem. You've mentioned shortages you're facing and that it's difficult to match the professionals with where bases may be located. That's an even worse problem when you're talking about National Guard and reservists who are going back to their communities and their regular jobs in places that may not have access to any mental health services at all."

In response to Senator Collins' concerns, Gen. Chiarelli said that the Army is addressing the issue in large part through a round-the-clock tele-health counseling program, which he noted has great potential to help deal with mental health care shortages in rural areas and can also help overcome the stigma associated with seeking help for mental and emotional problems. Gen. Amos also said that the Marine Corps has instituted an intensive course designed to train non-commissioned officers in suicide prevention and identification of mental health problems.