Suicide prevention and postvention resources: what psychiatry residencies can learn from the Veteran's Administration experience.

Suicide risk assessment and coping with the loss of a patient through suicide are two of the more challenging aspects of psychiatry residency. Over the last decade, the Department of Veterans Affairs has focused on a significant effort into the development of a comprehensive suicide prevention. This article aims to describe the initiatives and resources in place at the VHA to help address the issue of suicidal behavior in veterans and how residency programs can use this to enhance teaching of suicide prevention and postvention.