Overview of the Unites States Air Force Suicide Prevention Program and Implications for Korean Armed Forces

Dae Jong Oh; Myung Jae Baik; Soo-Churl Cho

doi:10.4306/jknpa.2017.56.2.55

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Oh, Baik, and Cho: Overview of the Unites States Air Force Suicide Prevention Program and Implications for Korean Armed Forces

Review Article

Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association 2017; 56(2): 55-60.

Published online: 30 May 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2017.56.2.55

Overview of the Unites States Air Force Suicide Prevention Program and Implications for Korean Armed Forces

Dae Jong Oh^1,², Myung Jae Baik³, Soo-Churl Cho³

¹Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

²Medical Corps of the 1st Marine Division, Republic of Korea Navy, Pohang, Korea.

³Mental Health Center, The Armed Forces Capital Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.

Address for correspondence: Myung Jae Baik, MD. Mental Health Center, The Armed Forces Capital Hospital, 81 Saemaul-ro 177beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam 13574, Korea. Tel +82-31-725-6432, Fax +82-31-706-0987, kinotopia100@hanmail.net

Received 3 January 2017 Revised 27 February 2017 Accepted 28 February 2017

Abstract

Suicide is a major public health problem among Korean military personnel. As multiple factors and their interactions are related to suicide, multicomponent intervention might be useful for reducing suicide and suicide-related outcomes. The United States Air Force Suicide Prevention Program (AFSPP) launched in 1996 is a good example of an evidence-based multifaceted program focusing on leadership involvement and whole community-level efforts. For early identification and management of an at-risk population, AFSPP aims to encourage help-seeking and reduce stigma by changing the community's social norms regarding mental health and suicide. The present study reviewed the key elements of this successful intervention and made a proposal for improving the suicide prevention strategy in the Korean armed forces. This review might be useful for establishing a comprehensive intervention in local communities and organizations outside of the military.

Keywords: Suicide, Suicide prevention, Military psychiatry

Figures and Tables

Table 1

The 11 initiatives of the US Air Force Suicide Prevention Program10)

Notes

^{Conflicts of Interest} The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.

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