ABSTRACT

Statement of Problem: US Navy suicide is an ongoing concern, with more than half of suicide deaths each year related to firearms. Although decreasing firearms access by those who are at risk for suicide has been well-established as a tactic for reducing risk, implementation of firearms restrictions has a significant cultural and occupational impact among service members that may increase the stigma of seeking mental health care. During a recent Deep Dive review of all previous year suicide deaths, subject matter experts from across the US Navy identified significant variability in command utilization of firearms restriction. Methodology: Based on this finding, a review was conducted to identify best practice for firearms restriction related to suicide risk across the US military services and municipal police departments. Findings: Findings from this review suggested that the Department of the Navy may benefit from adopting consistent standards for disarming and rearming service members at risk for suicide, base decisions on objective suicide risk rather than routine stressors, decrease access primarily when service members are off duty, and engage with service members to decrease core drivers of suicide behavior through command channels. Implications: Implementing these recommendations may be a crucial step in balancing precautions to decrease suicide risk with the stigma of firearms restriction in military settings.

 抽象的

问题陈述：美国海军自杀一直是一个令人担忧的问题，每年超过一半的自杀死亡与枪支有关。尽管减少有自杀风险的人使用枪支已被确定为降低风险的一种策略，但实施枪支限制会对军人产生重大的文化和职业影响，可能会增加寻求精神卫生保健的耻辱感。在最近对去年所有自杀死亡事件进行的深入审查中，来自美国海军的主题专家发现了指挥使用枪支限制的显着差异。方法：基于这一发现，进行了一项审查，以确定美国军队和市警察部门与自杀风险相关的枪支限制的最佳做法。调查结果：本次审查的结果表明，海军部可能会受益于采用一致的标准来解除有自杀风险的军人的武装和重新武装，根据客观的自杀风险而不是常规的压力因素做出决定，主要在军人下班时减少接触机会，并通过指挥渠道与军人合作，减少自杀行为的核心驱动因素。启示：实施这些建议可能是平衡降低自杀风险的预防措施与军事环境中枪支限制的耻辱的关键一步。