The assessment and prevention of suicide for the 21st century: the Air Force's community awareness training model.

Professional practice standards and ethical obligations in the realm of suicide and risk management have been discussed for the last several decades. In the civilian sector, this discussion has taken the form of malpractice case law, the development of numerous assessment tools and practice guidelines for clinicians, and some attempts to describe possible models of prevention. In the Air Force, concern regarding suicide and risk management has evolved into a formalized program of community awareness and education that has been testing the boundaries of suicidal risk detection, assessment, and support facilitation. This article briefly describes this program, its success, and its implications for both active duty and civilian populations. Guidelines for mental health practice standards in risk management and suicide assessment are also discussed.