Marshall Spring is a Marine Corps veteran, former police officer, firearms instructor, and suicide prevention expert. As the founder of the501(c)(3) nonprofit Combat Recovery Foundation, his continuing mission is to foster community, build individual resilience, and forge a path toward compassion, purpose, and belonging for all.
As both a suicide-prevention expert and someone who has grappled with the aftermath of military service, including combat, I have witnessed the impact of a perceived lack of purpose and belonging. The journey through mental health challenges often starts with the stark realization that one’s sense of purpose and belonging has been eroded. This phenomenon is particularly acute among veterans transitioning to civilian life, but it extends far beyond military circles. Understanding the deep impact of purpose and belonging on mental well-being is the key to unraveling the complexities of acute depression and the road to suicidal thoughts.
One critical aspect of suicide prevention is lethal means restriction, a strategy aimed at reducing access to methods of self-harm. It’s essential to approach this with empathy and collaboration rather than imposition. A poignant conversation that captures this sentiment unfolds as follows:
Are you a responsible person to be in possession of firearms right now?
Who do you trust to hold your guns for a while?
How do we get your guns into that person’s hands?
This dialogue not only addresses the immediate concern of access to lethal means. It also involves the individual in crafting his or her own safety plan. The emphasis is on collaborative decision-making, minimizing the risk of escalating feelings of helplessness.
Recognizing suicide as an extreme form of self-control, the delicate balance between intervention and exacerbating the perception of being out of control becomes apparent. Disarming a person, therefore, must be approached with the utmost care, understanding that it may intensify the person’s struggle.
Lethal means restriction requires a collective effort, and well-intentioned firearms laws often play a negative role in shaping these efforts. Unfortunately, the unintended consequences of such laws can turn a well-meaning friend into a felon for attempting to assist. This issue needs attention at the lawmaker level to ensure that policies support, rather than hinder, collaborative initiatives in preventing suicide.
In my experience working with those affected by suicide loss, one recurring lament stands out: the inability to schedule around a suicidal crisis. A crisis is happening precisely when it is happening, and the urgency of immediate intervention cannot be overstated. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard something like:
I knew there was something wrong on Tuesday. I scheduled time to address it on Friday. He died on Thursday.
A great question to get the ball rolling is “Who do you like to talk to when you are sad?” Then get that person involved immediately.
As we navigate the frontlines of suicide prevention, it is imperative to understand the profound impact of purpose and belonging. Embracing collaborative lethal means restriction, empathetic conversations, and legislative advocacy, we can collectively foster an environment that saves lives without inadvertently causing harm in the process. It’s a call to action—prompt, compassionate, and united against the invisible threat that is suicide.