Open AccessFirearm lethal means safety with military personnel and veterans: Overcoming barriers using a collaborative approach.
Author(s) -
Tim Hoyt,
Ryan Holliday,
Joseph A. Simonetti,
Lindsey L. Monteith
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
professional psychology, research and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.637
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1939-1323
pISSN - 0735-7028
DOI - 10.1037/pro0000372
Subject(s) - psycinfo , occupational safety and health , suicide prevention , poison control , context (archaeology) , service member , military personnel , military service , injury prevention , medicine , human factors and ergonomics , mental health , service (business) , medical emergency , psychology , medline , psychiatry , business , political science , paleontology , pathology , marketing , law , biology
Suicides by firearm have increased over the past decade among United States service members and veterans. As firearm access is a suicide risk factor, firearm-related lethal means safety is critical to suicide prevention. However, identity, occupational, and cultural barriers may deter efforts to promote lethal means safety with service members and veterans. The current manuscript describes a collaborative framework to guide mental health providers' in conducting firearm-related lethal means safety with service members and veterans, including within the context of Safety Planning. In approaching firearm lethal means safety conversations with patients, clinicians must work to overcome their own reticence, address patient concerns directly, and remain culturally sensitive to the values of the military and veteran communities. This approach is illustrated using case vignettes that encompass addressing firearm-related lethal means safety with service members and veterans.