SAN DIEGO — September is Suicide Prevention Month, and a new tool is now available to use as a proactive approach to help veterans transition from military service.

What You Need To Know

  • September is Suicide Prevention Month

  • According to Cohen Veterans Network, approximately 200,000 men and women transition from U.S. military service to civilian life each year

  • The year following military service has been called the “Deadly Gap,” a period in which the veteran suicide rate is 2.5 times the rate among active duty military personnel

  • Cohen Veterans Network just launched Mind the Gap: Preventing Suicide After Service, a free online tool that takes a proactive approach to suicide prevention

Leaving active duty after twenty years in the Marine Corps hit Shawn Grant harder than he thought. He says he struggled with depression as he made the transition to civilian life.

“I didn’t struggle with depression throughout my time in the Marine Corps because I had such a big support group,” Grant said. “And you don’t realize how much you’re losing when you actually lose that support group.”

Now, Grant is using his experience to help other veterans experiencing the same hardship. 

He’s a counselor at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic, which supports 9/11 veterans and their families.

“It is definitely hard,” Grant said of the transition. “And it’s a big loss of identity, so I believe that’s why a lot of veterans, maybe if they don’t seek help, then things can really spiral.”

Kelly Williams is the clinic director and says veterans are 1.7 times more likely to die by suicide than civilians, with the highest risk occurring during their transition from military service. 

Cohen Veterans Network just launched Mind the Gap: Preventing Suicide After Service, a free online tool that takes a proactive approach to suicide prevention.

“Oftentimes I think people believe that when they have someone who might be struggling with suicide, their fear is that if they ask them about it, that it’s going to increase the likelihood that they’re going to harm themselves,” Williams said. “When it actually helps them feel more thought of and more important when we ask about their safety and asking how they’re feeling because then that shows them that they’re really not alone.”

Williams says mental health experts often refer to the transition from military service to civilian life as “the deadly gap.” She hopes by teaching everyone how to speak up and address concerns about suicide, they can prevent more tragedy during this critical transition period.

“With those highs of getting out and starting some new opportunities, there might also be some lows of adjusting to this time in your life where you are no longer putting your uniform on every day, and instead, you might be in that more civilian world,” she said. “Do not be afraid to ask someone if they’re OK.”

As he remembers active duty, Grant is happy he can continue to serve his community by making sure everyone can find the best way to help them heal.

“It is a service that I wish was available to me,” he said. “I think just being there for them in those times gives them hope.”

You can find the Mind the Gap: Preventing Suicide After Service tools at cohenveteransnetwork.org.