‘A debt I can never repay’ — How Reddit is filling gaps in the military’s failing mental health care system
"Some of you gave me your number and demanded that I text or call you. Your support and care helped push me through that dark time. I’m alive."
By Daniel Johnson | Published Feb 2, 2022 8:36 AM
military-suicide-awareness
504th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade Soldiers post during a photo, Dec. 2, 2021, Fort Hood, Texas. Suicide is unfortunately a common problem among the ranks. These Soldiers reach out to those in need. (U.S. Photo illustration by Sgt. Melissa N. Lessard).
The suicide rate for young military service members aged 18-24 in 2020 was more than double that of civilians in the same age bracket, and higher than those of all age demographics among civilians, according to Department of Defense data and findings recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the past five years alone, the suicide rate among active-duty servicemembers overall has increased by 41%.
Although young people in the United States report the highest level of social media use of any demographic among the U.S. population, neither the U.S. Army nor the DoD has an official system in place to respond to reports of mental health harm or distress online. The systems that are in place – such as suicide hotline numbers – are often defunct, or only reachable during normal business hours.
An unofficial subreddit, R/Army, run by current and former U.S. Army personnel has been forced to fill the gap left by an unresponsive DoD, providing counseling to service members struggling with thoughts of self-harm. The members of this subreddit are occupying this role without any funding or payment, and have systematically documented the serious incidents they have encountered. Although the moderation team and users of the subreddit have saved multiple lives and attempted to inform the DoD of flaws in their suicide prevention program, the DoD has not officially responded. Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston, whose public affairs officer is active on Reddit, has made contact with the volunteers, though this communication seems to be more of a back channel at the moment.
‘Our users of the subreddit are the most important resource’
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-subreddit-resource/
