When thoughts of suicide overwhelmed Army Veteran Jeremy Ruspantine, he had no layers of protection and no one from his support network between him and his lethal means. He intended to end his life that day, had immediate access to his prescription drugs and, instead of reaching out, took the whole bottle of pills
Coming out of homelessness in 2020, going through inpatient care at the Coatesville VA Medical Center and making use of the available support services, things were coming together for him, until they weren’t. The post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that Ruspantine had been experiencing since a deployment in 2008 began to “evolve” in 2022 in a way that disrupted the life he was rebuilding.
The relationship he was in ended, he lost his position in the volunteer organization that he enjoyed, and he withdrew from his college courses. “It seemed like everything was falling apart,” Ruspantine shared. “I was in the wrong frame of mind, and I was not using my support network.”
Access to lethal means
Lethal means are items like firearms, sharp objects, cords and drugs that can be used to harm yourself. Veterans are far more likely to use firearms than any other method.
One reason many Veterans who have acted on their suicidal impulses are not with us today is that they lacked layers of protection between them and their lethal means, leaving them less time to pause, think clearly and stay safe in a moment of suicidal crisis.
A simple device like a gun lock or a combination safe will securely store a person’s lethal means and create time and space between the suicidal impulse and the action. These added layers of protection reduce suicide risk and save Veterans’ lives by increasing the time between a person having suicidal thoughts and them accessing their lethal means.
Layering protection with support
“My support network knew something was wrong. For some reason, my mom called me, and I don’t know if I answered, but she knew, and my roommate at the time knew something was up. And I know that the police came. I’m here today because my mother, my roommate, and [my neighbor] were all there for me when I was in crisis,” Ruspantine said.
At that time, he and his support network didn’t know that Coatesville VA would provide gun locks and combination safes for free.
Although Ruspantine cannot clearly remember the details of the night he overdosed on medications, he is sure of one thing. “I was not in the right state of mind, so I would not be able to put in the combination to a safe,” he admitted.
It turns out that, when a person experiencing a suicidal crisis can’t access the method they planned to use, they are not likely to seek out an alternate method. Ruspantine may have avoided overdosing while in crisis by storing his medications in a combination safe.
Learn more about securely storing firearms and compare the benefits between gun cables, gun locks and combination gun safes.
If you are a Veteran or have a Veteran in your life and would like to discuss your concerns about the lethal means available to them, contact your local VA medical center’s Suicide Prevention Program Coordinator or call the Veterans Crisis Line 24/7 by dialing 988 and then pressing 1.
