Even though the United States Army is often regarded as one of the most powerful armies in the world, the problem of suicide among soldiers remains extremely important in any part of the country. Therefore, if I were the battalion command sergeant major, I would try to encourage the development of new initiatives improving the psychological care of soldiers to make them stronger and reduce the risk of suicide attempts.
The problem of suicide attempts among soldiers in the United States tends to become urgent during those periods when important military operations are conducted. Thus, the number of suicide attempts among soldiers in the United States Army significantly increased during the war in Iraq (Ursano et al. 741). Speaking about the factors that contributed to some soldiers’ willingness to commit suicide, modern researchers pay close attention to the negative impact of family violence or violence experienced during military service. It is known that family violence can be called one of the key factors that encourage the development of posttraumatic stress disorder. In its turn, the latter can become a reason for an increased number of suicide attempts among soldiers in the United States Army.
The role of the battalion command sergeant major is very important when it comes to the psychological health of soldiers. If I were the battalion command sergeant major, I would try to design and implement new practices helping soldiers to cope with stress and become more persistent. Apart from that, I would pay focused attention to new methods helping to identify those soldiers who need psychological help. Nowadays, many researchers believe that the degree to which battalion command sergeant majors are involved in training and caring for soldiers in their units should be increased. I agree with this point and this is why I would try to implement new practices improving the psychological well-being of soldiers in my unit.
Among the measures that I would take to achieve the discussed goal, there is the introduction of weekly meetings for soldiers who need psychological help. I would encourage a military psychologist to conduct group sessions for soldiers. During the sessions, the information on the most effective methods of psychological self-help would be presented, and the military psychologist would focus on the way to cope with stress caused by a previous traumatic experience. Considering that many soldiers are influenced by common stereotypes, the majority of them would not like to discuss their own experiences. Nevertheless, the tips discussed by the military psychologist are expected to help them to understand what can be done to cope with stress more effectively.
In the end, the problem of psychological well-being and suicide attempts was chosen due to a large number of stress factors peculiar to military service. The decision to improve psychological training in the United States Army would help to decrease the number of suicide attempts. Nevertheless, to achieve success, it would be necessary to find skilled specialists having advanced knowledge of military psychology.
Work Cited
Ursano, Robert, et al. “Risk Factors, Methods, and Timing of Suicide Attempts among US Army Soldiers.” JAMA Psychiatry, vol. 73, no. 7, 2016, pp. 741-749.