WEBVTT

00:09.280 --> 00:11.090
- To all our airmen and families,

00:11.090 --> 00:14.890
we welcome you to our 2020
Suicide Prevention Training.

00:14.890 --> 00:16.500
We're proud to be Alaskans.

00:16.500 --> 00:17.730
Alaskans are strong.

00:17.730 --> 00:19.220
Alaskans are tough.

00:19.220 --> 00:21.430
We take a lot of pride in our State.

00:21.430 --> 00:22.530
Unfortunately,

00:22.530 --> 00:24.400
our wonderful State of Alaska

00:24.400 --> 00:28.000
has the third highest
suicide rate in the nation.

00:28.000 --> 00:28.833
In this video,

00:28.833 --> 00:30.960
we will briefly touch on a few items

00:30.960 --> 00:33.440
that will assist in
keeping our fellow airmen,

00:33.440 --> 00:36.760
loved ones and community members safe.

00:36.760 --> 00:38.350
- Some of you were thinking yes,

00:38.350 --> 00:39.680
we've heard this before,

00:39.680 --> 00:42.010
I don't see this as
valuable turning to me.

00:42.010 --> 00:43.240
But what you may not realize

00:43.240 --> 00:46.910
is that a coworker, a
family member, a neighbor

00:46.910 --> 00:49.150
or a friend of a son or daughter,

00:49.150 --> 00:51.470
maybe struggling with real
feelings of hopelessness

00:51.470 --> 00:53.520
and contemplating death by suicide.

00:53.520 --> 00:55.640
- As your 176th Wing Command team,

00:55.640 --> 00:57.410
we wanted to highlight a few tools,

00:57.410 --> 00:59.470
so you're equipped to handle someone

00:59.470 --> 01:02.010
who is in severe emotional distress.

01:02.010 --> 01:04.600
Similar to keeping jumper
cables in your car,

01:04.600 --> 01:07.200
you may never need to use these tools,

01:07.200 --> 01:09.270
but sure we'll be thankful to have them

01:09.270 --> 01:10.710
when you do need them.

01:10.710 --> 01:14.730
- Our primary focus is on
building strong connections

01:14.730 --> 01:17.860
due to the lack of PCS for
the Air National Guard,

01:17.860 --> 01:19.290
we're encouraging members

01:19.290 --> 01:21.801
to build lasting connections over time.

01:21.801 --> 01:24.490
We know that the foundation
of suicide prevention

01:24.490 --> 01:27.960
lies in the strength of one's
meaningful relationships

01:27.960 --> 01:29.320
with others.

01:29.320 --> 01:31.730
Some of our members are
inherently more attuned

01:31.730 --> 01:34.410
to people in their life circumstances.

01:34.410 --> 01:35.480
Other members,

01:35.480 --> 01:38.410
they have a harder time
getting to know others.

01:38.410 --> 01:41.870
Fostering connections is a
skill that can be learned.

01:41.870 --> 01:44.790
The recent RTP engage
members in creative ways

01:44.790 --> 01:47.140
to get to know each other.

01:47.140 --> 01:49.990
Let's keep up this positive trajectory.

01:49.990 --> 01:52.490
- People may think that
asking for help is a weakness.

01:52.490 --> 01:56.120
Where there's "man or operator,
readily independent thing"

01:56.120 --> 01:57.680
it doesn't really matter.

01:57.680 --> 02:00.130
The truth is, we all need help sometimes.

02:00.130 --> 02:01.940
Have you ever tried to
move an eight foot sofa

02:01.940 --> 02:03.790
up three flight of stairs by yourself?

02:03.790 --> 02:06.830
- The bigger issue is for
someone who lacks self-awareness,

02:06.830 --> 02:09.030
that they are really not doing very well

02:09.030 --> 02:10.550
mental health-wise.

02:10.550 --> 02:12.920
The Air National Guard
has intelligent people,

02:12.920 --> 02:16.370
but some who could learn some
new tools for coping better.

02:16.370 --> 02:19.210
Coping better has lasting positive impacts

02:19.210 --> 02:20.340
on their mental health

02:20.340 --> 02:23.780
and their own occupational
and or family functioning.

02:23.780 --> 02:26.280
There are plenty of examples
of people not reaching out

02:26.280 --> 02:28.250
for help for years,

02:28.250 --> 02:31.510
having their families bear
the brunt of their impairment.

02:31.510 --> 02:33.910
There are too many people
who experience regret

02:33.910 --> 02:35.900
of lost years with their children.

02:35.900 --> 02:37.420
So, which is worse?

02:37.420 --> 02:38.560
Asking for help

02:38.560 --> 02:40.960
or not asking for help when you need it?

02:40.960 --> 02:44.180
- Our Director of Psychological
Health, Diann Richardson

02:44.180 --> 02:47.000
wants to talk a little
more about help-seeking

02:47.000 --> 02:50.133
and has a tidbit about asking
for mental health-help.

02:51.860 --> 02:53.690
- [Diann] If I walked
right over to the PJ gym

02:53.690 --> 02:56.110
and asked Adam, their Strength
and Conditioning Coach

02:56.110 --> 02:58.470
for advice on building
more muscle in my arms

02:58.470 --> 03:00.210
because I'm frustrated
with not seeing results

03:00.210 --> 03:01.780
after months of hard work,

03:01.780 --> 03:04.140
the conversation would
go something like this.

03:04.140 --> 03:06.560
He would ask what I was
doing to build my arm mass.

03:06.560 --> 03:09.330
I would tell him I've been
using weights in random ways,

03:09.330 --> 03:10.630
one day a week.

03:10.630 --> 03:13.230
Instead of scoffing,
ridiculing or judging me,

03:13.230 --> 03:14.287
he would politely say,

03:14.287 --> 03:16.720
"well, that particular
technique is not paying off

03:16.720 --> 03:18.100
in what you really want.

03:18.100 --> 03:20.160
Let's work on a better
strength training plan

03:20.160 --> 03:22.770
to get you the results you want to see."

03:22.770 --> 03:24.010
This is his job.

03:24.010 --> 03:25.900
He is a subject matter expert

03:25.900 --> 03:28.760
and his insight is
imperative for me to improve,

03:28.760 --> 03:30.960
as I was not progressing toward my goals

03:30.960 --> 03:32.610
before I sought help.

03:32.610 --> 03:34.460
I would then check in
with him occasionally,

03:34.460 --> 03:35.970
making sure I was on track

03:35.970 --> 03:37.490
or needed more advice.

03:37.490 --> 03:39.810
I will progress in that and
need his counsel for very long,

03:39.810 --> 03:43.000
but certainly benefited from
his physical fitness wisdom

03:43.000 --> 03:45.730
and applying his advice to my situation.

03:45.730 --> 03:47.560
This directly parallels to seeking out

03:47.560 --> 03:48.680
a mental health professional,

03:48.680 --> 03:50.360
or an additional resource

03:50.360 --> 03:52.990
for any area in your life
you wanna see improvement.

03:52.990 --> 03:53.823
- Stress.

03:53.823 --> 03:56.010
It's a part of human existence.

03:56.010 --> 03:58.580
And some stress is incredibly positive.

03:58.580 --> 04:01.370
All of us could benefit
from gaining as many tools

04:01.370 --> 04:03.450
to mitigate stress in our life.

04:03.450 --> 04:05.640
It is when someone is not coping well

04:05.640 --> 04:07.760
and experiencing extreme distress

04:07.760 --> 04:11.160
that our intuitive nature
should pay attention.

04:11.160 --> 04:13.920
There are numerous ways to
increase your tool belt,

04:13.920 --> 04:17.430
stress management, and
increasing coping skills.

04:17.430 --> 04:20.680
Some people have few resources
to utilize when stressed.

04:20.680 --> 04:22.780
And some folks unfortunately,

04:22.780 --> 04:25.040
utilize unhealthy coping skills

04:25.040 --> 04:27.980
when there are so many
healthy options available.

04:27.980 --> 04:31.610
Make a realistic plan for
improving your stress management.

04:31.610 --> 04:34.660
- ACE; Ask, Care and Escort

04:34.660 --> 04:37.010
is the Air Force model
we've used for years.

04:37.010 --> 04:40.160
The 176th Wing does this extremely well.

04:40.160 --> 04:42.100
We asked the difficult
questions of one's safety

04:42.100 --> 04:43.400
or suicidal thoughts.

04:43.400 --> 04:45.060
We show care and concern,

04:45.060 --> 04:46.470
and we escort a member or a loved one

04:46.470 --> 04:48.090
to the appropriate resource.

04:48.090 --> 04:51.020
The Chaplain, the DPH,
Mental Health Provider

04:51.020 --> 04:52.540
or an emergency room.

04:52.540 --> 04:53.950
My only caution is,

04:53.950 --> 04:56.910
in the past when a member
was deemed suicidal,

04:56.910 --> 04:59.140
a few service members have
taken the member in crisis

04:59.140 --> 05:00.590
into their own home,

05:00.590 --> 05:02.390
in order to "watch them."

05:02.390 --> 05:03.660
My response to that,

05:03.660 --> 05:05.760
is that it as a psychiatric facility

05:05.760 --> 05:07.530
or hospital's role to provide surveillance

05:07.530 --> 05:09.090
to a suicidal individual,

05:09.090 --> 05:10.860
not the service member for.

05:10.860 --> 05:11.880
- Building time and space,

05:11.880 --> 05:13.520
between someone and their distress

05:13.520 --> 05:15.530
and their access to lethal means

05:15.530 --> 05:17.670
including firearms and medication

05:17.670 --> 05:21.140
can reduce the risk of
suicide attempts and death.

05:21.140 --> 05:22.750
Use the acronym name "Go SLO."

05:22.750 --> 05:24.000
Help implement,

05:24.000 --> 05:26.050
use of Safe, Locks and Outside

05:26.050 --> 05:27.870
the home storage of lethal means.

05:27.870 --> 05:30.290
If someone admits to an
international guard member

05:30.290 --> 05:32.370
that they are planning
on taking their own life,

05:32.370 --> 05:34.080
it's important to remove the mechanism

05:34.080 --> 05:35.810
for their intended self harm.

05:35.810 --> 05:38.130
That being said, they still need to escort

05:38.130 --> 05:40.020
the member to care.

05:40.020 --> 05:43.520
- Our missions biggest asset
is our service members.

05:43.520 --> 05:45.500
Mission readiness is directly linked

05:45.500 --> 05:47.150
to quality of our life

05:47.150 --> 05:49.620
and the of life our members, families

05:49.620 --> 05:52.550
and the complicated and
messy parts of the life.

05:52.550 --> 05:54.080
The peaks, the valleys,

05:54.080 --> 05:55.840
there will be emotional turbulence

05:55.840 --> 05:57.630
and traumas for all of us.

05:57.630 --> 06:00.270
Each of us are asked to show ourselves up

06:00.270 --> 06:02.210
to mitigate those challenges

06:02.210 --> 06:05.560
like building and fostering
positive connections.

06:05.560 --> 06:07.980
And by improving our overall wellbeing,

06:07.980 --> 06:09.320
stress management

06:09.320 --> 06:11.750
and healthy coping skills.

06:11.750 --> 06:14.380
- And when we see a
coworker, family, friend

06:14.380 --> 06:15.850
or an acquaintance that is showing signs

06:15.850 --> 06:17.420
of significant difficulty,

06:17.420 --> 06:20.410
please reach out to them and
inquire about their safety.

06:20.410 --> 06:22.506
After all we are all in this together.

06:22.506 --> 06:23.960
(wind blowing)

06:23.960 --> 06:26.377
(cool music)