When people are presented with a daunting problem there can be a natural reaction to want to “do something.” Inaction in the face of injustice or other harmful situation may appear unacceptable and doing something—anything—to stem the tide, is seen as better than doing nothing. Although it may be counterintuitive to some, taking action against a problem can have detrimental results if the problem is not yet adequately understood. Public resources are scarce and committing limited funds to a new program would be unwise if there is only limited or unclear evidence of its effectiveness. Causality is difficult to identify and before we commit time, money, and personnel to solving a problem we need to disentangle possible causes and effects. One cannot fix a problem until the cause is identified (Stone, 2011).
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The Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs are actively engaged in suicide prevention methods, however I argue that suicide causality is not yet completely understood. Instead, suicide is concurrently an intensely personal and a social act and can be influenced by numerous variables, some of which are still emerging in research. Viewed through the lens of the social environment of the armed forces, I argue that prevention methods will continue to be ineffectual until the primary risk factors for suicidality are understood. Regardless of the need for continued research, military and veteran suicide has emerged as a major public concern in recent years, prompting individuals and interest groups to mobilize and demand government action. This is due, in part, to how this issue is presented and interpreted in public discourse. I argue that a misunderstanding of causality and conflicting information on suicide rates and risk factors may potentially be encouraging premature implementation of
The Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs are actively engaged in suicide prevention methods, however I argue that suicide causality is not yet completely understood. Instead, suicide is concurrently an intensely personal and a social act and can be influenced by numerous variables, some of which are still emerging in research. Viewed through the lens of the social environment of the armed forces, I argue that prevention methods will continue to be ineffectual until the primary risk factors for suicidality are understood. Regardless of the need for continued research, military and veteran suicide has emerged as a major public concern in recent years, prompting individuals and interest groups to mobilize and demand government action. This is due, in part, to how this issue is presented and interpreted in public discourse. I argue that a misunderstanding of causality and conflicting information on suicide rates and risk factors may potentially be encouraging premature implementation of