"Do not yield to the pressure of a difficult situation."


Statistics:

22 a day... or one every 65 minutes
This means every 65 minutes; a veteran takes their own life because of PTSD. Our mission is to reach as many people as possible and hopefully help reduce these numbers. These high suicide rates are caused by multiple factors, some inherent to fighting in a war, high exposure to trauma, stress, military culture, training and the difficulty of reintegrating into civilian life. 
According to the CDC, law enforcement officers and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty. Furthermore, EMS providers are 1.39 times more likely to die by suicide than the general public. First responders may be at an elevated risk for suicide because of the environments in which they work, their culture, and stress, both occupational and personal. This stress can be acute (associated with a specific incident) or chronic (an accumulation of day-to-day stress). Studies have found that between 17% and 24% of public safety telecommunicators have symptoms of PTSD, and 24% have symptoms of depression. 
Many Veterans and First Responders consider stress to be "a part of the job" and feel they cannot or should not talk about the traumatic events and stressors; and due to the perceived stigma around mental health problems or concerns over impact on employment (i.e. being labeled "unfit" for duty), many may not even report suicidal thoughts or ideations.