Operation Reach Out Review

Operation Reach Out is aimed at preventing suicide among military personnel and veterans. This app has two components, which can be accessed via the two options on the homepage; “I’m concerned about myself”, or “I’m concerned about someone else”. Each section has a number of short (10-30 second) videos of military personnel speaking about suicide. The difference between the two components is that videos in the “I’m concerned about myself” section are aimed directly at the user, whereas videos in the “I’m concerned about someone else” section advise friends, family members or colleagues on how to help someone in need. In the ‘Help Center’ section of the app, users can fill in the names and numbers of people they should reach out to in a crisis. The “Resources” section has a list of websites users can refer to, e.g. Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Centers of Disease Control, Military Family. The “Activities” section suggests activities that users can do with other people, e.g. “Join an online dating service”, “Get involved in your local block or neighborhood association”. Users can rate each activity by giving a thumbs up or thumbs down; those that are given a thumbs down will not appear again. Users are encouraged to do one activity every day.