Brainerd VFW Hosts Training for Changing the Narrative on Suicide

The Brainerd VFW hosted a two-hour long training session last week centered on changing the narrative on suicide.

Co-sponsored by the Crow Wing County Veteran Services Office, the meeting’s mission was to engage participants to think about their own mental health, while also helping to change the narrative on mental health in the community. Area veterans learned more about the eight dimensions of wellness, created their own wellness plans, and went over suicide prevention and the resources available on it in an effort to challenge the stigma on discussing mental health and mental illness.

“We are so embedded in the stigma. We’re trained as children to not talk about it, to keep it in the family, to not share the weakness, not to appear vulnerable, anything like that, so it just continues,” explained Destiny Tinnes, Suicide Prevention Regional Coordinator for north central Minnesota. “So it’s important to break it down by talking about it.”

What spurred the idea for the training session are the staggering statistics regarding veterans and suicide, as veterans are at a 72% higher risk to die by suicide than those who have not served.

“There’s so much more possibilities for trauma,” said Tim Brastrup, a Brainerd VFW officer and Disabled American Veterans Treasurer. “People being shot, artillery explosions, gruesome helicopter crashes. You don’t see much of that in civilian life. There are people who get shot. There’s violent crimes and stuff going on, but it’s not as prevalent as if you’re in the military.”

Mental health and suicide are inherently uncomfortable topics to discuss, and that especially rings true for veterans.

“They have to relive what happened, and most of them don’t want to talk about that,” Brastrup stated. “But to state their case and get help, they have to. And it’s very uncomfortable because they relive everything. And even some people think that theirs isn’t worth discussing because others had it worse.”

Mental health is traditionally a topic veterans tend to stray away from, as they were once taught and trained to push down emotions rather than embrace them. According to Tinnes, another big key to changing that narrative is how you approach someone about the subject.

“You want to offer nonjudgmental listening,” Tinnes emphasized. “You don’t want to interrupt. You don’t want to project your own personal stories on somebody. If you have to sit in the uncomfortable silence, it’s OK. And then again, just learn how to talk to people and don’t talk with your hands flapping, cross armed. Have open communication and dialog.”

If you or a loved one is at risk, you can contact Destiny Tinnes for more information and resources at (218) 821-2501 or by emailing [email protected].

Help is available for anyone who needs emotional support. You can dial 988 to speak with someone on the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Support is available 24 hours a day.