Vigilance is Vital

Post by **spot** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:21 pm

I'd be interested in anyone explaining the cryptic "stigma" in the last sentence of this abbreviated clipping. What stigma?

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2012 - The ongoing battle against service member and veteran suicide requires community, commitment, and attention to three critical areas, a senior Defense Department official said here today.

Addressing attendees at the annual DOD and Department of Veterans Affairs suicide prevention conference, Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs and director of the TRICARE Management Activity, acknowledged that suicide is a "very, very tough problem."

The conference, which began today and ends June 22, drew hundreds of health care providers, researchers, and others from what Woodson called a broad community of people from government and private industry working to understand and defeat the occurrence of suicide in the ranks and among the nation's military veterans.

Woodson said employing vigilance, reducing stigma and sharing success stories are essential to the struggle to end suicide.

Defense.gov News Article: Woodson: Vigilance is Vital to Combat Troop, Veteran Suicide

Snooz · Post by **Snooz** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:30 pm

The stigma created by people mocking the word 'deference' in reference to the troops.

Post by **spot** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:33 pm

SnoozeAgain;1397176 wrote: The stigma created by people mocking the word 'deference' in reference to the troops.

If you think George Little's press statement was in the slightest way justifiable, do please say so in the thread on George Little's press statement. The only person I mocked in that thread was George Little, nowhere did I mock any member of the US Armed Forces.

Snooz · Post by **Snooz** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:34 pm

spot;1397177 wrote: If you think George Little's press statement was in the slightest way justifiable, do please say so in the thread on George Little's press statement. The only person I mocked in that thread was George Little, nowhere did I mock any member of the US Armed Forces.

In that thread.

Post by **spot** » Wed Jun 20, 2012 6:41 pm

SnoozeAgain;1397179 wrote: In that thread.

Where else have I mentioned the word 'deference' in relation to troops?

Come on Snooze, I asked a serious question in this thread. I'd be interested in anyone explaining the cryptic "stigma" in the last sentence of the abbreviated clipping. What stigma? I'm not in America, foreigners aren't part of the problem, this stigma mentioned by Dr. Woodson is local.

Clodhopper · Post by **Clodhopper** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 12:39 am

I'm guessing, but mental health issues often have a stigma attached - it can even be difficult to admit to depression. Assuming most suicides are depressed, the speaker might have been referring to reducing the stigma of mental health issues to encourage more veterans to come forward and get help before their issues drive them to suicide.

That's my guess, anyway.

Post by **spot** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 3:47 am

Ah, that makes sense now. Less the cause, more the effect.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 4:44 am

spot;1397196 wrote: Ah, that makes sense now.
That is how I understood it too.....

Nice to see your grasp of real people and life's realities is lacking.

Could be an empathy deficiency !!!!

Less the cause, more the effect.
Now you need to explain what that refers to

Post by **spot** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 4:54 am

Bruv;1397201 wrote: Now you need to explain what that refers toClod suggests the stigma results from the mental health issues, as opposed to the stigma causes the mental health issues. I'd red the original piece as suggesting that a pre-existing stigma attached to those in the ranks and among the nation's military veterans resulted in the development of mental health issues. If I got it backward that's because it was written backward, the original really does suggest what I thought it did.

I assume Clod's suggesting that the stigma attached to a mental health problem sets off a worsening feedback, adding to the severity of the mental health problem and generating yet more stigma from society.

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:13 am

spot;1397204 wrote: I assume Clod's suggesting that the stigma attached to a mental health problem sets off a worsening feedback, adding to the severity of the mental health problem and generating yet more stigma from society.
Off by miles, but you're only interested in new ways to feed your hate of America, so go ahead.

Post by **spot** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:16 am

Accountable;1397209 wrote: Off by miles, but you're only interested in new ways to feed your hate of America, so go ahead.

So if Clod's wrong, what's the real source of the stigma in this context?

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:19 am

Yes an empathy deficiency......

"Less the cause, more the effect"

What if I was to say Both ?

It all feeds off each other, first comes an instance of instability for whatever reason, hidden due to the stigma, that feeds back into the condition, magnifying it.

About the 'you had red' affectation.......why ?

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:20 am

spot;1397210 wrote: So if Clod's wrong, what's the real source of the stigma in this context?

You read my post incorrectly as well.

Post by **spot** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:26 am

Bruv;1397211 wrote: About the 'you had red' affectation.......why ?Acc just demonstrated it. Does he mean "You read my post incorrectly as well" as - excuse my phonetic spelling here - "You reed my post incorrectly as well", present tense, or does he mean "You red my post incorrectly as well", past tense. I can rarely work out which from context so I've unilaterally abandoned "read", I'll use reed and red from now on so people know which is intended. I can't think of many other homographs which are as difficult to distinguish by context. It's a small tweak to the language, I hope it catches on.

It matters when I'm reading aloud to the children. If I get it wrong the end of the sentence disintegrates.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 7:13 am

posted by spot

I'd be interested in anyone explaining the cryptic "stigma" in the last sentence of this abbreviated clipping. What stigma?

Addressing attendees at the annual DOD and Department of Veterans Affairs suicide prevention conference, Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs and director of the TRICARE Management Activity, acknowledged that suicide is a “very, very tough problem.”

Woodson said employing vigilance, reducing stigma and sharing success stories are essential to the struggle to end suicide.

Woodson said eliminating the stigmas service members may perceive as being attached to seeking mental health care is “the most critical breakthrough” that can happen.

It's all in the context. Instead of taking a phrase or sentence out of context read it as part of a whole.

Post by **spot** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 7:38 am

Do you know, I hadn't seen that last sentence. Yes, that makes it clear.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:10 am

spot;1397219 wrote: I'll use reed and red from now on so people know which is intended......... It's a small tweak to the language, I hope it catches on.

So.....you 'tweaking' the language is OK, but heaven help the BBC for going off the appropriate path.

Post by **spot** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:15 am

Bruv;1397236 wrote: So.....you 'tweaking' the language is OK, but heaven help the BBC for going off the appropriate path.

I have reason on my side.

You do your best.

They are incompetent.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:08 am

posted by spot

I have reason on my side.

You do your best.

They are incompetent.

If you pay more attention to context you might find it a good deal less confusing

Post by **spot** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:13 am

gmc;1397251 wrote: If you pay more attention to context you might find it a good deal less confusing
I can only discover the context by clicking the link. I complain about the unintelligibility of the link text, that's all.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 1:36 pm

spot;1397253 wrote: I can only discover the context by clicking the link. I complain about the unintelligibility of the link text, that's all.

LOL and I don't use that often.......and you red that contextually wrong too....damn he's got me at it.

gmc is referring to the first context that confused you...... not the BBC links context I added recently

Post by **spot** » Thu Jun 21, 2012 2:16 pm

As background and related to the OP, I'll also link to today's Defense.gov News Article: Study Offers Glimpse Into Suicide Motives though without comment on my part.

Clodhopper · Post by **Clodhopper** » Fri Jun 22, 2012 6:32 am

Interesting article, though I don't think there was anything earth-shatteringly new there from a conceptual point of view in the motives for suicide. If they are successful with the therapy that's good news indeed! Let's see the results in 5 years and 10.

Mental health issues do have a stigma attached, or more accurately, I think there are two. One is the fear of the raging psycho: this paranoid schizophrenic is quiet at the moment, but who knows what he'll be like in five seconds time? The other is the "Snap out of it" stigma, which applies to things like depression or phobias.

And then of course, there are conspiracy theories. I'd like to attach MORE stigma to them. Personal pet hate.