Once again the time has come to walk for suicide prevention which is less than two weeks away. There are thousand of walkers throughout the United States that participate in the Out of Darkness Walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Last month the American Psychological Association published an article titled ” Trauma Before Enlistment linked to High Suicide rates  among Military Personnel, Veterans, Research Finds” which basically reminds us that if anyone has any traumatic experiences  in the past this will make them more vulnerable to suicidal behavior when coping with many deployment and combat ( Bowen, APA Public Affairs, 2014). Suicide is the second leading  cause of death among service members. Service members reported abuse as children who are more likely to attempt suicide. According to the research gathered in 2010 from 12,567  Army National Guard soldiers found “that 16 percent of the respondents reported harsh punishment during childhood and 8 percent reported physical abuse” which were similar to the active duty Army soldiers ( Bowen, APA Public Affairs, 2014).  Sexual trauma is another way of increasing suicidal behavior in women which is reported; however, male survivors of sexual trauma are least likely to seek mental health care. We must be proactive and get the word out to prevent suicide prevention. Please donate for the Out of Darkness Walk Community Walk through the American Foundation For Suicide Prevention. In addition, please consider becoming an Field advocate of the AFSP.