Artificial intelligence tackling mental health, suicide prevention among veterans
TAMPA, Fla. - Artificial intelligence is now playing a crucial role in mental health and suicide prevention among veterans, as many come home from war and fight a different battle on the home-front.
Marine Corp veteran Mike Hudson is working with ClearForce to use AI technology to take the burden off the veteran who may be struggling to reach out and ask for help – and instead, will use data to find who may be at risk, so support groups can reach out to them first.
"We know that financial struggles are a contributing factor; substance abuse, run-ins with law enforcement, legal issues. These are all discoverable activities, because they are in public domain," Hudson said on ClearForce’s work. "You’ve got to rethink how we are looking at outreaching veterans, and we have to take the burden off the veteran to be the first mover."
Once the AI system alerts a support group, they may call, or contact friends and family, to check in on those who need it.
Still, there are incredible resources for anyone who is struggling. The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay has a specific hotline dedicated to veterans – and the person on the other end answering that call is a veteran themselves.
"When veterans reached out for help, and they got someone who wasn’t a vet, they would hang up. That’s when our crisis center saw a need for this. When a vet speaks to another vet, there’s a shared bond," Eric Bledsoe of Crisis Center Tampa Bay said of their hotline. "We are able to just be a little bit more open with each other."
Twenty percent of veterans suffer from depression, and 6,000 veterans take their own lives every year, according to Crisis Center data.
The veteran crisis hotline for anyone who may be struggling is 1-844-MYFLVET – or 1-844-693-5838.