National Experts Meet to Discuss Suicide Prevention Best Practices

On Tuesday, September 13, the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah and the American Psychological Association brought together a select group of national experts to identify “best practices” for the clinical management of suicide risk with military service members and veterans.

“This ‘best practices’ conference provided an incredible opportunity to engage many of the leading experts from academia, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Institute of Mental Health, and a variety of veterans service organizations, on the vital issue of reducing suicide risk in military and veteran populations, said Norman Anderson, Ph.D., CEO of the APA. “The University of Utah’s National Center for Veterans Studies should be commended for their tremendous leadership on this issue.  It was a distinct honor for the APA to co-host the event and partner with Dr. Rudd in an effort to continue to make significant strides on the issue of suicide prevention.”

This initial meeting, convened by Dr. M. David Rudd, national science director of the NCVS and dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science at the University of Utah, consisted of a panel of veterans discussing their experiences re-entering society following military service, presentations by some of the foremost researchers and clinicians specializing in suicide prevention, and working group sessions designed to identify best practices in assessment and clinical management.

“I was particularly pleased that we were able to gather a group of experts across DoD, the VA and the private sector. Collaboration is critical to identifying best practices and making specific recommendations to guide clinical practice,” said Dr. Rudd. “This initial meeting laid a foundation for ongoing work which will culminate in a set of specific clinical recommendations for the assessment and management of suicide risk in service members and veterans.”

The group will formerly meet again in the winter of 2012. The meeting was made possible by a gift from O.co – formerly Overstock.com