{"id":210690,"date":"2024-06-26T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=210690"},"modified":"2024-06-26T20:15:05","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T20:15:05","slug":"lgbtq-health-program-and-suicide-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=210690","title":{"rendered":"LGBTQ+ Health Program and suicide prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI have been thinking a lot about suicide,\u201d said the Veteran, not making much eye contact. Unlike in past discussions, on this day he had a plan and access to lethal means. He had dealt with distress and thoughts of suicide most of his life\u2014a life that included hiding that he was gay and coping with childhood sexual abuse and military sexual trauma.<\/p>\n

I was sitting at a dining room chair in the tiny, senior apartment of a Vietnam Veteran in a rural town. He was seated across from me on a recliner where he also slept, walker in front. On the recliner was a soft fleece blanket he was worrying with his fingers. Touching the blanket was one of his important grounding strategies. The Veteran was in his late 70s and was dealing with many health problems. I had been visiting him about once a month for a year in my role as home-based primary care psychologist.<\/p>\n

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Stories like this Veteran\u2019s may not be as rare as you think. We know that LGBTQ+ Veterans face many unique health challenges, including a higher risk for mental health issues and thoughts of suicide, than their non-LGBTQ+ counterparts.<\/p>\n

This is even more true for Veterans in rural areas, which is why VA has been making inroads to increase access for Veterans in these areas\u2014who are unable to leave their homes\u2014by expanding clinical telehealth and use of the Veterans Crisis Line.<\/p>\n

For LGBTQ+ Veterans, additional barriers may still exist, like uncertainties about how sexual orientation or gender identity will be perceived by VA or how it will affect care, especially when one may have had negative experiences in the past.<\/p>\n

Abuse by authority figures who should have been support<\/h2>\n

During our first meeting, the Veteran told me he was gay. This identity was important in so many ways, both in terms of his experiences in the military, the ways he interacted with VA, his resilience and, unfortunately, his experiences with trauma. As a child he experienced sexual abuse at the hands of authority figures who should have been supports in his life. He experienced military sexual trauma before deploying. During our conversation that day, I wished I had something about suicide prevention and LGBTQ+ Veterans from VA to give him.<\/p>\n

Now, through the LGBTQ+ Health Program<\/a>, there is an\u00a0LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator\u00a0<\/a>at every facility to help Veterans get the care they need. VA policies require that health care is delivered in an affirming and inclusive environment and that VA employees respect a Veteran\u2019s identity.\u00a0You can visit this link to contact the LGBTQ+ VCC\u00a0<\/a>at your nearest facility.<\/p>\n

The first time I met this Vietnam Veteran, I put the Veterans Crisis Line number into his phone and set it as automatic dial #1. Since I had started visiting, he had not been hospitalized for thoughts of suicide and I wondered if that day might be the day. He said, \u201cI didn\u2019t know if I should tell you. I wondered if you would want to just lock me up, but I figured I trust you and you\u2019re my psychologist, so I should tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

After talking through how he was feeling and what his thoughts were, we agreed on a plan that did not involve hospitalization, and his thoughts of suicide dissipated over the next several weeks.<\/p>\n

Suicide prevention tools<\/h2>\n

This story highlights the need for improving care and support for LGBTQ+ Veterans\u00a0as a critical part of VA\u2019s suicide prevention efforts. The VA Office of Suicide Prevention<\/a> and the LGBTQ+ Health Program are working together to educate Veterans on LGBTQ+ suicide prevention efforts, including:<\/p>\n