Benefit Fact Sheet
Army Suicide Prevention and Response Program (SPR) aligns policies, practices, and programs that promote positive behavioral changes, strengthen personal and collective bonds, and build readiness and resilience through collaborative partnerships and evidence-based programs that are replicable, scalable, and sustainable. The SPR supports activities and services intended to improve the quality of life across the Department of the Army for Soldiers, their Families, and Army Communities. By developing and strengthening support options and services, concerns can be addressed before they become challenges, preventing challenges from escalating into crises where high risk behavior requires institutional intervention.
SPR aims to prevent suicides and enhance readiness by building a culture of resilience, supporting stigma reduction, normalizing help-seeking, fostering supportive environments, and proactive activities, including financial literacy, secure storage of lethal means and skill building before the point of crises. Increasing Commanders’ and Leaders’ visibility of risk factors and stressors improves leader engagement and instils a culture of trust to ensure successful service. Leaders’ understanding of the complex factors influencing Soldier suicides is critical to early identification, prevention, and intervention.
The VETERANS/MILITARY CRISIS LINE is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Dial 988 and press #1
Suicide or self-harm behaviors are a result of a complex interaction of many factors which include environmental, psychological, physical, and social elements. Because there is not one single solution; this challenge requires a comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention efforts for communities and organizations.
Top Stressors Involved in Army Suicides:
- Financial Issues/Debt
- Relationship/Family Conflict
- Mental/Behavioral Health
- Substance Abuse
- Administrative/Legal Problems
The Pillars and Processes of Suicide Prevention
Suicide prevention is dependent upon the existence of a culture that fosters trust, caring, and engaged individuals focused on early intervention as opposed to crisis management. It requires a strong collaborative team.
Suicide prevention includes:
- Enhance life skills including coping and problem-solving to build resiliency
- Promote leader assessment tools to identify and assist individuals at risk, i.e., Commanders Risk Reduction Toolkit (CRRT) provides leaders with over 40 risk factors.
- Ensure access to effective mental health care and treatment.
- Support command integration of resources that mitigate risk factors and high-risk behaviors to minimize gaps in information and services, i.e., Command and Installation governance forums like the Command Ready and Resilient Council (CR2C).
- Improve communication, counseling and Soldier to Soldier connection (bystander intervention).
- Encourage help-seeking behavior to reduce stigma and fear of career impact.
- Encourage Secure Storage and disposal to reduce lethal means risk (to include medications, weapons, etc.).
- Supporting immediate response and postvention support following a suicide loss.
Note: The Army Suicide Prevention and Response Office is NOT a crisis center and does not provide counseling services. If you are feeling distressed or hopeless, thinking about death or wanting to die, or, if you are concerned about someone who may be suicidal, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 and press 1 for the Military Crisis Line or text 838255.
Active-duty Soldiers, Army National Guard, Army Reserve members, and their dependents who are eligible for treatment in the military health system are eligible for service.
SPR educates and trains active duty, Reserve and National Guard Soldiers, Army Civilians and family members on suicide prevention and postvention. Find SPR 
training and resources at your local SPR office and online through Army G-1 Suicide Prevention and Response Program.. Find SPR training and resources at your local SPR office and online through Army G-1 Suicide Prevention and Response Program.
Through SPR Suicide prevention training, you can develop skills to include:
- How to recognize suicide behavior
- Intervention strategies
- Services and resources
The SPR aligns efforts to the Prevention Care Continuum recognizes that individuals are in one of the following three phases and incorporates these three Prevention stages:
1. Prevention: Individuals in this area are perceived as unaffected by stressors and demonstrate no indicators of increased risk. The Army’s objective is to everyone knows and practices the Ask, Care, Escort skill before a crisis. The Army offers universal training for everyone in the Army family.
2. Intervention: Individuals in this phase have signaled that they are at increased risk and require intervention. They may need help from a Chaplain, Mental Health Provider, a Leader, a friend, or a family member to seek and receive assistance.
3. Postvention: The post-event stage refers to response activities that happen immediately after a suicide or suicide attempt impacting the unit. Individuals in this phase have attempted suicide or are the survivors (unit, squad members, teammates, leaders, spouses, children, parents or significant others) of the individual who completed suicide. Actions in this phase seek to assist by offering initial and sustained support to family members and others associated with the attempted or completed suicidal act.
When someone needs help, remember ACE:
1. Ask your battle buddy or family member if he or she is thinking about harming or killing themselves. Asking will not increase the likelihood that they will attempt suicide. You will not place the idea in their head.
2. Care for your battle buddy or family member by listening and reassuring them that immediate help is available. Calmly talk to them and use words like “let me make sure I understand you, do you mean…” and remove any means that they might use to harm themselves.
3. Escort your battle buddy or family member to get help. This can be an emergency room, a primary care provider, or a behavioral health professional. If they refuse to go with you, do not leave them alone. Call 911 if necessary.
ACE is the Army-approved suicide prevention and awareness training model. The key training objective is awareness training (risk factors and warning signs). In accordance with (IAW) Army Regulation 600-92 ACE training is conducted annually. Army in partnership with Walter Reed has developed training focused at: Soldiers, Leaders, DA Civilians and families. Completion of training for Soldiers and Leaders will be documented in the Digital Training Management System (DTMS) and the Individual Training Record (ITR) IAW AR 350-1.
Click here to access training resources.
Suicide Prevention Battle Drills
You can help prevent suicide or suicide attempts by actively intervening when a Soldier, teammate, battle buddy or loved one expresses suicidal ideation. Be alert and engaged before they are overwhelmed by life stressors and risk factors. Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, means thinking about planning suicide. Thoughts can range from a quick consideration to a detailed plan. These tools can help you engage and prevent deaths by suicide. AR 600-92 provides additional tools for leaders.
Report Concerning Behavior You See on Social Media
If someone you know posts messages of suicide or self-harm on social media, you can contact the safety teams who will reach out and connect them with the help they need.
If you see a direct threat of suicide on social media, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline immediately or Call 911.
Report suicidal behavior via a social media platform:
Instagram
To report a post related to suicide or self-harm, tap the three dots in the upper-right corner of the post. Select Report, then select Suicide, self-injury or eating disorders. Choose Suicide or self-injury and follow the prompts to submit the report.
Snapchat
To report a Snap or Story, press and hold the content, then tap Report Snap. Select Suicide & self-harm, or the most relevant reporting option, and follow the prompts.
To report an account, open the Chat screen, press and hold the person’s name, tap Manage Friendship, then tap Report. Snapchat also provides a web reporting option when the app cannot be used.
YouTube
To report a video, tap the three dots below or near the video, then select Report. Choose Suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders, and submit the report. Menu placement may differ slightly between the mobile app, desktop site, Shorts and other YouTube formats.
YouTube reviews reported content but does not automatically remove every reported video. Content is removed or restricted when it violates YouTube’s Community Guidelines.
Facebook
To report suicidal or self-harm content on Facebook, tap the three dots in the upper-right corner of the post and select Report or Find support or report. Follow the prompts and choose the option most closely related to suicide or self-injury. You may also use Facebook’s dedicated resource for reporting suicidal content.
X
To report a post related to suicide or self-harm, tap the three dots in the upper-right corner of the post, choose Report post, then select Suicide or self-harm and follow the prompts. X may contact the account holder with crisis-support information.
Note: Menu labels and reporting steps may vary slightly depending on the platform, device or content type. To help keep this guidance current, follow the platform’s reporting prompts and select the option that most closely matches suicide or self-harm.
Recommended safety statement
If someone appears to be in immediate danger, do not rely only on a social media report. Contact 911 or local emergency services. In the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Meta and the 988 Lifeline both advise contacting emergency services when someone may be in immediate danger. Social media reporting is an additional intervention, not a replacement for urgent assistance.
Recommend reviewing social media guidance annually because platform menu labels and reporting workflows change frequently.
Army Suicide Prevention and Response Program (SPR):
https://www.armyresilience.army.mil/Army-Suicide-Prevention-Program
Army Ready and Resilient Program (R2):
https://www.armyresilience.army.mil/Programs/J-Z/Ready-Resilient/About-R2/
Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 6490.16, Defense Suicide Prevention Program:
https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/649016p.pdf?ver=2020-09-11-122632-850